Sympathy for the Devil
by Amsalja
Summary: Nari Miller had never spoken to Billy Hargrove, despite being his classmate for years. In fact, she doubted he even knew she existed and she would have been perfectly content to keep it that way. Yet, it seemed that fate had other ideas. A prequel story to Stranger Things 2, set in California.
1. 1 - LA Woman

**A/N: **This story takes place before the Hargrove-Mayfield family moves to Hawkins. Billy is a little different in this story, compared to how he is in Stranger Things 2. He's more aloof and not so constantly angry. This isn't an attempt to change his character. The purpose of this story is to explore how and why he becomes like that. It was my impression, while watching his character, that he became worse due to whatever reason they moved to Hawkins. I'm sure the real reason will be explored in the future of the show and won't even be close to the events of this story, but for now I'm gonna have some fun with the blank spots in his character's history.

This is essentially a love story between him and an OFC, but it's not an instant attraction. It's more of a hate turns into love story. Furthermore, Billy's behaviour once in the relationship isn't typical and is quite dark. He will be possessive and controlling and there will be fairly graphic sexual content later on.

The OFC's mother is Korean and her father is of mixed descent. Of course, Billy's behaviour in ST2 suggests he's a racist, so pairing him with a half-Korean girl may seem odd. However, this will play a role towards the end of the story. The OFC's name is Nari Miller and her face-claim is Lee Ji-Eun (IU), when she has her golden-brown hair.

Lastly, I'm Australian and have never been to America. If I make any mistakes, please let me know and I'll fix it up. I decided to set the story in LA - it's never specified where in California Max and Billy are from. Specifically the Santa Monica/Venice Beach area. Feel free to point out to me if you can't imagine Max and Billy being from that particular part of LA though.

* * *

 ** _Are you a lucky little lady in the City of Light?_**

 ** _Or just another lost angel - City of Night._**

 **\- L.A. Woman by the Doors (1971)**

* * *

Nari Miller felt trapped in a corner. Her best friend looking at her with wide, pleading eyes. Rachel Taylor was a naturally pretty girl with a slim figure, short, curly brown hair, sun-kissed skin and almond shaped green eyes.

"Come on, Nari, _please,_ " Rachel begged. "I don't want to go alone!"

Nari bit her bottom lip, feeling torn. For over a month, Rachel had been crushing on Dean Nelson. As far as Nari was concerned, the guy – and all his friends – were bad news and she'd prefer to keep her distance from them. So far, she'd managed to do just that, but somehow Rachel had been invited by Dean to his party that night and was leaping at the opportunity. The catch was that she wanted Nari to come with her. Part of her felt guilty and didn't want to let her friend down. Another part of her was adamant about not going and continuing to avoid Dean and his friends like the plague.

"Can't you just go on your own?" Nari huffed. "Once you see Dean, you'll forget I'm there anyway."

"I promise I won't!" Rachel tried to convince her. "Besides, his friends are just as attractive as he is… if I finally get somewhere with Dean, you'll have your pick of hot guys to choose from for yourself."

"You're crazy," Nari rolled her eyes. "Sorry, but those guys are all assholes. I don't care how good looking you think they are."

"What about Billy Hargrove?"

"Ugh, no," Nari screwed her nose up in distaste. "He's the _worst_ of the lot!"

"Aww, come on. He may be a little rough around the edges, but he is damn _gorgeous_ and no one can deny it."

"You've lost it…" Nari muttered under her breath.

It wasn't as though she didn't like parties, but this kind of party didn't appeal to her at all. Yet, the puppy dog eyes Rachel was giving her eventually crumbled her resolve.

"Fine…" she sighed.

Rachel grinned, quickly giving Nari a tight hug in gratitude before moving over to her record player. Before Nari knew it, _Hurts So Good_ by John Cougar was playing at top volume. It was tradition now for them to get ready while listening to that song. Rachel flung clothes haphazardly all over her bedroom, looking for the best outfit that would impress Dean. Nari didn't bother altering her own appearance, despite Rachel's protests, but she did help Rachel with her make up. By the time her best friend was ready she looked stunning. Nari knew Dean would have to be an idiot not to appreciate Rachel's beautiful appearance, as much as she didn't like the guy.

Nari looked ridiculously underdressed by comparison in her slightly baggy Rolling Stones shirt, denim shorts and old white Vans. Yet, this wasn't an ordinary party to her and she couldn't have cared less about how she looked. To her, there was no one to impress. She got into Rachel's car and the two began driving through the streets, headed for the party.

Once they arrived, things were in full swing. The music was blaring and the house was full of teens drinking from plastic red cups. Nari lingered a little behind Rachel, already craving some Springsteen or Fleetwood Mac instead of the hard rock music surrounding her. Her friend was quick to spot Dean, moving over to him.

Dean Nelson was a guy of average height and a lean but toned build. His hair was a dark brown that fell to just above his shoulders and his eyes were a striking blue that seemed to cut through your very soul if their attention happened to focus on you. Nari could understand the appeal for Rachel. He was incredibly good looking and something about his blasé attitude seemed to draw women in like a moth to a flame. However, his cocky, over-confident attitude rubbed her the wrong way.

"Hey princess," Dean drawled once he spotted Rachel, his gaze raking over her figure.

Nari rolled her eyes as Rachel giggled coyly, instantly beginning to flirt with Dean. Turning her attention away from the two of them, Nari then made eye contact with the guy standing next to Dean. It was Johnny Slater, who was in the year above the rest of them. He was looking right at her in a way that made her uncomfortable. His beady brown eyes seemed to be undressing her with his gaze and it made her skin crawl.

Another guy came up to Slater and stole his attention for the moment, giving Nari an opportunity to leave and find a drink. Rachel was well and truly absorbed in Dean by then, so Nari knew she wouldn't be missed and figured she should make the most of being there since she'd been dragged along anyway.

After acquiring a cup of beer, Nari made her way through the house and found a small circle of mostly occupied chairs. Managing to get one that was free, she sat down, recognising the opening riff of AC/DC's _Hells Bells_ playing. A guy seated across from her was talking to the rest of the group in the circle and she tuned in, listening to what he was saying.

"We take turns around the circle. Every time you hear 'Hells Bells' it's the next persons turn to drink. You can't stop drinking until the next 'Hells Bells'."

Most people in the circle nodded or murmured their agreement and before long it was the chorus and the first time in the song that Hells Bells was uttered. The guy who had spoken before took the first turn and shortly after, the person next to him followed once the second 'Hells Bells' had been sung. The next person quickly followed and then the fourth time it was uttered, it was Nari's turn.

Eager to feel the effects of the alcohol and have some fun, Nari raised her cup and drank quickly. Unfortunately for her though, that was the last line of the chorus and a short instrumental break followed. She noticed her cup would be empty soon and wordlessly held out her free hand for another drink. She felt someone place a can in her hand and once her cup was empty, she threw it away and lifted the can to her lips. The others in the circle had begun cheering her as the second verse began.

 ** _I'll give you black sensations up and down your spine_**

 ** _If you're into evil you're a friend of mine_**

 ** _See the white light flashing as I split the night_**

 ** _'Cause if good's on the left,_**

 _ **Then I'm stickin' to the right**_

She almost thought the chorus must be next, but she was wrong. Thankfully she couldn't drink from the can as quickly as she had from the cup.

 ** _I won't take no prisoners, won't spare no lives_**

 ** _Nobody's puttin' up a fight_**

 ** _I got my bell, I'm gonna take you to hell_**

 ** _I'm gonna get you, Satan get you_**

 _ **Hells Bells!**_

Nari took the final sip from the can when she finally heard the words and her turn was over. More cheers erupted, with the girl next to her handing her another drink and she let out a goofy grin, accepting the new can of beer. Nari already felt pretty lightheaded. She was a complete lightweight and the game had allowed the alcohol to kick in and for her to loosen up and enjoy herself a little.

Yet, with flushed cheeks and a warmth spreading through her body, Nari decided she was done with the game and needed some fresh air. She got up from her chair, swaying a little as she moved through the crowd and headed for the door that led outside. She was almost there when someone bumped into her from behind and she tripped over her own feet. She stumbled forward, her eyes widening as she caught sight of a beautiful girl directly in front of her.

Time seemed to slow down as Nari prepared herself for the impact, ready for her drink to spill all over the poor girl and for the awkward, rambling apologies to fall from her lips. What she wasn't ready for was the tight grip on her wrist, or to look up at the man standing next to the girl. Her eyes widened even further when she realized it was none other than Billy Hargrove. She would have recognized the tall, imposing stature, those dirty blonde curls, his full lips and cold, round blue eyes anywhere. His strong grip steadied her and her drink, stopping her from spilling it all over him and his date.

Nari may have badmouthed him over the years, but in that moment she couldn't help but admire his quick reflexes. She wondered briefly about whether she'd misjudged him all those years, thinking he was an arrogant jerk who only cared about himself. Those light blue eyes stared intently into her own dark brown ones and once again, she was ready to blurt out words – this time ones of gratitude rather than apology – but once again the words died on her tongue as Billy carelessly shoved her in the opposite direction, her drink spilling all over her shirt.

She stood there, frozen in complete and utter shock as the cold beer seeped through the material, chilling the skin underneath. Her brain reeled, trying to catch up with what had just transpired. However, once she did catch up she seethed with anger.

 _Pabo ya,_ she scolded herself mentally.

She was a downright fool for thinking Billy Hargrove might actually be a decent human being. He hadn't been catching her fall for any reason other than to steer himself clear of her spilled drink. He couldn't have cared less about her and she doubted he could have cared less about his beautiful date.

Swirling around to face him, her hands became clenched into fists by her sides. He looked at her with an expression of boredom, as his date barely tried to stifle her giggles at Nari's predicament. This only made Nari's anger grow, but her focus was solely on Billy, who had looked away by then in disinterest.

"Hey!" She yelled out to him, only angered further when he seemed unperturbed by her outburst. "What the hell is your problem, you jerk!?"

"Watch where you're going next time," he replied nonchalantly, still not even bothering to look at her.

She gaped after him as he began moving through the crowd, his date following him. Nari narrowed her eyes at him and attempted to follow, not willing to let him get away with it.

"Hey!" She yelled out. " **Hey**!"

It was useless though, as he was long gone and she was much shorter, swallowed by the sea of people. Huffing to herself, Nari looked down at her ruined shirt and pouted, cursing the very existence of Billy Hargrove. She weaved back through the crowd until she got to the kitchen. Turning on the faucet, she wet her shirt, trying to avoid any stains. Her temper was flared up as she mentally called Billy every offensive term under the sun – both in English and Korean.

Until that moment, neither of the two had ever acknowledged the others existence. They'd never spoken, despite years of being classmates. She doubted he even knew who she was - not that it would excuse his behavior. It was her first encounter with Billy Hargrove and needless to say, she wasn't at all impressed.

* * *

 **A/N: There wasn't much Billy in this chapter, but a** **ny feedback would be greatly appreciated! 'Pabo ya' basically means 'you fool' or 'you idiot' in Korean. The drinking game Nari plays is one I've played, but with 'Thunderstruck'. Since that didn't come out until 1990, I had to find an alternative...but it definitely works better with Thunderstruck.**


	2. 2 - Play With Fire

**A/N:** A sincere thank you to those who left a review on the first chapter! It's extremely motivating and encouraging to receive them so I'm very grateful!

I've actually just updated chapter one with a longer, more detailed version. Any returning readers should give it another quick read so that certain aspects of this chapter (and future ones) aren't confusing. I hope you all enjoy the second chapter :)

* * *

 ** _Don't play with me, 'cause you're playing with fire_**

\- **Play With Fire by the Rolling Stones (1965)**

* * *

" ** _Michin nom_**!" Nari muttered under her breath in Korean, glaring at Billy Hargrove from across the hall.

It was Monday morning and she hadn't forgotten what he did the previous Saturday night at the party. How one person could be so rude was beyond her and she vowed to herself that she'd put him in his place one way or another. For the moment, however, she was content to glare daggers at him from across the school hallway.

He seemed completely at ease, leaning against his locker, his gaze suggestive as Lori Jensen flirted shamelessly with him. _Why_ so many women threw themselves at him was beyond Nari. Physical beauty only got you so far and Nari scoffed as she observed Billy's appearance that morning. He wore tight jeans, as he always did, paired with a white button-up shirt.

"Why bother wearing a shirt if you're only going to do up two buttons!?" She exclaimed in annoyance, now glaring at his exposed chest. "Even if you have a nice body, you don't need to flaunt it so shamelessly!"

So wrapped up in her annoyed muttering was Nari that it took her a moment to realize she'd admitted out loud that Billy Hargrove was attractive.

" ** _Ani, ani_** ," she spoke rapidly in Korean once again, shaking her head furiously as though the action would somehow delete her previous statement from existence.

"What're you muttering about?"

Nari turned quickly to find Rachel with her childhood friend, Jay, who was leaning against her locker and giving her a look of puzzled amusement. Jay was her closest friend, who she'd known since the age of three. He was tall and slim with shaggy brown hair, an olive skin tone and wide, brown eyes. He watched her in curiosity, his brow furrowing into a frown and his lips settling into a slight pout as he waited for her answer.

"Nothing, nothing," Nari responded, laughing awkwardly and unconvincingly.

Jay narrowed his eyes, clearly not believing her, before his gaze flitted over to where hers had rested only moments ago.

"You were staring at Billy Hargrove?" He asked slowly, his expression quizzical.

"Wait, _what?_ " Rachel finally cut in, following Jay's gaze. "So you _are_ interested?"

"God, Rach, **_no_**!" Nari stared at Rachel in disbelief.

However, her friend continued talking as though Nari had never spoken.

"I could probably set something up," she continued, wrapped up in her own little world. "He's more of a one night stand kinda guy though. But I mean, if you're _into_ that sort of thing then…"

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Jay muttered under his breath in annoyance.

"Rach!" Nari cut in more loudly.

Rachel stopped her rambling, looking at Nari with wide eyes.

"I don't want to even be in the same room as the guy!" She explained. "He's a grade A asshole!"

"Why were you staring at him then?" Rachel asked with a knowing look.

Nari gave her friend an aggravated look before recounting what had happened at the party. By the time she'd finished she was feeling even more exasperated, due to Rachel's excited grin.

"Oh, you two should definitely hook up!"

"Rach, what are you _talking_ about? I can't stand him and I'm pretty confident that the feeling is mutual."

"He's like Dean," Rachel grinned. "All rough on the edges but once you get to know him…"

She let her sentence hang in the air, a dreamy look in her eyes.

"You're deluded," Jay cut in, rolling his eyes and slinging an arm around Nari's shoulder, pulling her into his side. "Besides, Nari can do better than that jackass."

"Hear, hear!" Nari heartily agreed, finally cracking a grin of her own. "Your head is shoved so far up Dean's ass you've lost all rational thought, Rach."

Rachel huffed in annoyance. "Whatever. You'll eventually see I'm right and then you'll be sorry."

* * *

A few weeks went by and Billy Hargrove was shoved to the back of Nari's mind. She had only seen him briefly in the school hallways and from a distance in class – and she preferred to keep it that way. One night doing a late night shift at Zucky's Deli, where she'd been working as a waitress for a couple of years. It was a Tuesday night and nearing 11pm, so they weren't that busy and she was able to chat with her work friend Eiza.

Eiza was a beautiful 19-year-old who was wasting her youth, working at Zucky's full time. She had a glowing medium-tan skin tone, big, doe-like brown eyes, a tall hourglass figure and long, wavy brown hair that was almost always tied back. She was always vibrant and friendly – perfect for the customer service business and for keeping Nari energetic when they worked together.

There wasn't much to do and Nari stared at the clock, tapping a pencil against the counter. At that moment, Eiza was taking the order of two older guys and Nari's only company was Todd Rundgren's _Hello It's Me,_ as it played on the radio. She looked over lazily when she saw the door at the entrance of the deli open but then felt her eyes widen when she saw that it was Billy Hargrove.

He sat himself in one of the booths and she sent a quick glance Eiza's way, hoping she'd serve him. However, it looked like Eiza wasn't finished taking the other order and technically he was in a booth she was supposed to cover. Sighing, Nari trudged over to his booth with great reluctance, menu in hand. He looked up at her when she approached, his expression unreadable. She stared at him for a moment, feeling awkward and as though this situation didn't warrant her usual customer greeting.

"You gonna give me the menu, or are you just gonna stand there?"

His haughty tone snapped her out of it. She noticed that his brow was quirked in question and his expression showed that he was clearly irked.

"Uh, yeah," she replied clumsily. "Here…"

She handed him the menu unceremoniously and he gave her an odd look, studying her for a moment. She turned on her heel, not wanting to spend another minute near his insufferable ass. As she walked away, leaving him to choose what he wanted from the menu, Nari realized something. The way he'd regarded her… he had looked at her like it was their first meeting. The son of a bitch didn't even remember her!

Oh that was just rich! Typical, considering he had a new girl just about every day. She doubted he remembered all of them so why would he remember her? Yet, Nari still felt insulted and all her anger regarding his treatment of her at Dean's party resurfaced. She stood behind the counter, glaring daggers at Billy and internally cursing his very existence.

"Damn," Eiza laughed, noticing Nari's sour expression when she eventually approached her. "Bad customer?"

"Oh you have no idea," Nari replied.

"Shame. He's pretty cute."

"Oh god, not you too!" Nari groaned.

"What do you mean?"

"We go to school together. He's the biggest shithead to ever walk the earth, but girls keep flinging themselves at him."

Eiza just laughed. "Well it looks like that 'shithead' is ready to order. Good luck."

Nari pouted in annoyance and begrudgingly went back over to his booth. She was sickeningly sweet as she took his order, pushing her contempt for him to the back of her mind for the moment, but the pressure she used when writing down his order was almost enough to break her pencil in half. He sat lazily against the vinyl-upholstered seat and Nari noticed how tense he was, clearly already pissed off about something before coming to Zucky's. She couldn't have cared less though. She just wanted the night to be over and to be serving her usual customers. She'd even take the more annoying kind – anyone but _him_.

The rest of her exchanges with him in the Deli were minimal, as she only spoke to him when necessary. He didn't seem all that bothered by her less than friendly demeanor. In fact, he barely seemed to pay her any mind, too caught up over whatever he was internally seething over as he smoked cigarette after cigarette. Nari busied herself with meaningless tasks, waiting for her shift to be over and pointedly ignoring him.

"Hon, you're done for the night."

Nari turned to see Gina, an older woman who was taking over from her and Eiza, giving her a warm smile.

"Thanks, Gina," Nari smiled back tiredly.

She walked out the back, leaving Eiza who was chatting enthusiastically to Gina. Nari just wanted to go home. She got changed quickly and headed out the back door, ready to walk home. However, she saw that Billy was walking ahead of her on the sidewalk, clearly having finished his meal. He was nearly at his car and Nari could have let it go – that certainly would have been the smart thing to do– but her anger was still bubbling up inside of her and she was determined to finally give him a piece of her mind.

"Hey!" She called out indignantly.

This time he actually stopped and turned to look at her. He was clearly less than amused, but she was beyond caring.

"You owe me an apology," she told him irately.

There was a moment of silence between them, Billy simply stared at her, his cigarette sitting between his lips and leaving a haze of smoke to swirl in front of him.

"For what, exactly?" He asked lowly, irritation dripping from every word.

"First you handle me like a… a sack of potatoes! Shoving me around, drenching me in beer at that douchebag Dean's party. Then tonight, you don't even recognise me! You're the most insufferable kind of pretentious dickhead! I don't know who you think you are but…"

Her words trailed off and her eyes widened as Billy quickly closed the distance between them, getting right up in her face and grabbing hold of her forearm in a vicelike grip. His imposing figure invaded her personal space, successfully intimidating and quietening her. His 5'8" height seemed to tower over her shorter 5'1" frame, his blue eyes were cold as ice and his strong cologne invaded all of her senses. She suddenly felt as small as an insect, the brewing fury in his eyes leaving her truly scared of him for the first time. His tight hold on her arm was enough already to intimidate her, but she also sensed something dark and threatening emanating from him.

"I don't give a shit who you are."

His voice sent chills down her spine. His voice was low and almost deceivingly calm, but with an undertone of warning that she didn't want to challenge.

"If you know what's good for you," he continued in that quiet, dangerous tone. "You'll stay out of my way."

Silence fell over the two of them, Nari unable to speak and Billy trapping her in his icy gaze. He watched her for a moment longer, almost as though he was searching her eyes for any sign of further insolence from her. When he found none, he finally leant back and away from her, dropping her arm from his grip roughly. He was no longer looking at her and turned back around, once again heading towards his Camaro. He didn't look at her again; he simply got in his car and sped off, Metallica blaring from the speakers as he did.

Nari watched him in stunned silence until the blue Camaro was out of sight and earshot. She let out a shaky sigh, anger and annoyance still simmering inside her. Now, though, there was something else accompanying those emotions. A touch of fear. Rachel was wrong when she said Billy and Dean were the same. Dean may have been a cocky, arrogant jerk, but Billy was something much worse. He had a burning rage deep inside him and as annoyed as Nari was with his behaviour, she didn't want to provoke it any further than she already had.

* * *

 **A/N** **: Michin nom means 'crazy bastard' in Korean, while 'ani' is an informal way of saying 'no'.**

 **Zucky's was a real restaurant and deli in Santa Monica. I've done a fair bit of research, so hopefully the way I write it will be believable, but my version is still a fictionalised version. It was open 24 hours and from what I can tell was pretty popular and locally famous.**


	3. 3 - Shout at the Devil

**A/N** : First of all I want to apologise for taking so long to update. Basically, my laptop died on me and it works out that it's better for me to just buy a new one rather than have the old one repaired. However, having no laptop while I've been saving for a new one has made my university studies a lot harder and more time consuming than usual. So between that and work, I haven't had much free time. I'll be able to buy my new laptop on the 7th of August and since it's winter break here, I had some time to do this chapter. Since I get my new laptop next week, I'm aiming to update once a week. Towards the end of semester that may become less frequent, but hopefully no more than two weeks between updates. I want to thank everyone that has reviewed this story, as it means the world to me to hear your feedback and that people are already enjoying this story. Thank you also to everyone who has favourited/followed. I hope this chapter is worth the wait!

 **AN IMPORTANT NOTE: I made a change to one of my original characters. Every time I read back on my writing, I kept misreading Eli as El, so I changed his name to avoid any confusion and I've amended the earlier chapters. Also, I actually always had Nari as a surfer from the moment I created her, so I haven't added that in just because of ST3. I actually wouldn't have picked Billy as a surfer, but I've added that in now that ST3 has come out and we've learned that about him. Just so you know, Nari is also a skater and that will of course play a role later with Max. I always saw Max as more likely to be a surfer than Billy, due to the Endless Summer poster in her room, so that might come into play later too.**

* * *

 _ **He'll be the risk in the kiss**_

 _ **Might be anger on your lips**_

 _ **Might run scared for the door**_

 _ **But in the seasons of wither**_

 _ **We'll stand and deliver**_

 _ **Be strong and laugh and**_

 _ **Shout at the Devil**_

 _ **-**_ **Shout at the Devil by Mötley Crüe (1983)**

* * *

The sky was a vibrant mix of colours as the sun began to peak out on the horizon. The early morning air had a slight chill to it, but Nari was warm in her wetsuit as she sat on her surfboard, waiting for a wave good enough to catch. The swell had been disappointing all morning, but she and Jay spent the time chatting idly, not minding as long as they weren't at school.

"You know, he keeps staring at you..." Jay suddenly changed the topic of their conversation, gesturing with a smirk behind her.

Nari turned her head and looked over her shoulder to find a group of guys she knew all too well, sitting on their surfboards much like she and Jay were. They were a considerable distance away but she still clearly saw when the one she least wanted to see turned his head to look right back at her, as though sensing her gaze. They stared at one another for a moment and somewhere in the back of her mind, it registered to Nari that there was at last recognition in his gaze. He seemed to seize her up in that moment, though whatever he was thinking was a mystery to her and she quickly tore her gaze away, crinkling her nose in contempt as she regarded Jay.

"God, it's like he's following me," she complained. "This morning is already shitty enough..."

"Come on, he's not that bad," Jay reasoned, looking slightly confused. "He's better than the rest of them."

"Jay..." Nari looked at him in bewilderment. "It's Billy Hargrove... it doesn't get much worse than him. I already pissed him off, I just want to avoid him until he forgets I exist again."

"Woah, Billy?" Jay looked behind her at the group of guys before bringing his attention back to her. "I meant Henley. What'd you do to piss off Hargrove?"

"Vance?" Nari questioned, looking behind her once again. "You meant _Vance_?"

The one in question, Vance Henley, was towards the back of the group, his head now turned down towards the water with his long blonde hair covering his face. Jay was right about one thing, he was certainly better than the other guys Billy and Dean were friends with. He had a constant smile on his face and was always friendly, yet he was also a complete goofball.

"Yeah, he was staring at you," Jay pulled her attention back to him. "You didn't answer my question."

Nari smiled sheepishly. "He came into Zucky's and I might have yelled at him about what happened at Dean's party..."

"Nari..." Jay sighed. "Please try not to get on his bad side, you know what he's like when people piss him off and I wouldn't assume you're safe just 'cause you're a girl."

"I know, I know," she assured him. "I'll stay out of his way, I promise."

Jay nodded solemnly and shortly after they gave up on the surf, returning to the shore in time to get ready for school.

* * *

"So I was thinking something like this," Rachel pointed to a pink top in a magazine she had in front of her. "But I can't find the shade anywhere. Think you can make something for me?"

"Sure," Nari nodded with a smile, already mentally working on it.

"You're the best!" Rachel beamed, flinging her arms over Nari and engulfing her in a tight hug.

Jay rolled his eyes, bored with the two. Rachel's eyes wandered until she spotted Dean outside the cafeteria and suddenly she was standing.

"I'll see you guys later," she winked at Nari, already moving towards him.

Nari wasn't sure what exactly Rachel and Dean were to each other, but whatever it was, he hadn't seemed to grow bored of her yet and Nari was glad for that, if only for her best friend's sake. Some of Jay's other friends came over to their table, just as Nari started to write down some notes for Rachel's request and she smiled at the only girl among them, Jodi Knox.

"Hey Jodes," she greeted, not looking up from her notebook.

"Hey, whatcha doin'?"

Jodi sat down beside her, peering over at her notebook. She was a tall girl with mahogany skin and dark, wild curls. Her brown eyes were an almond shape and her lips were full and pouty.

"Rach wants me to make a new lipstick colour for her," Nari replied, writing down the ingredients she would need.

Jodi hummed in acknowledgement, knowing Nari's talent with makeup.

"Our drummer quit," Jodi sighed, filling Nari in on her band with Jay.

Jay played bass, while Jodi supplied the lead guitar and vocals. Their rhythm guitarist had bailed a while back, but without a drummer they couldn't do anything.

"Jay didn't tell me that," Nari frowned and Jodi shrugged.

"We'll work something out."

* * *

Nari tapped her pencil against the wooden desk, her head resting in her hand as she tried to stay awake. Mrs Baudelaire's enthusiastic speech about the symbolism of Oedipus plucking out his own eyes was putting the majority of the class to sleep. At the desk to her right, Jay sat, his leg bouncing up and down in impatience as he stared at the clock with determination, as though his sheer willpower alone could make the time go faster. One row ahead and a few desks to the left, she spotted Lori Jensen glancing flirtatiously in Billy's direction, before scowling when she failed to get his attention. Nari couldn't help but shake her head with a wry smile, wondering what made girls think they were special enough to be able to gain his attention for more than a few minutes.

Towards the end of the class, Baudelaire began talking about an upcoming assignment and the class let out a collective groan when she explained that they would be partnering up for it. Nari and Jay glanced at one another simultaneously, both hoping that they'd be able to choose their partners. However, all their hopes were crushed when Baudelaire began reading out the pre-arranged partners from a list. Nari slumped in her chair, returning her attention to her English teacher.

"Hargrove and Miller," Baudelaire droned out eventually, before moving on.

Nari froze in her seat for a moment before fervently shaking her head. She turned back to Jay in the hopes that she had misheard or imagined it, but he was looking right back at her with wide eyes.

"Well, shit," she murmured to him. "So much for staying out of his way..."

She decided to hang back when class ended, despite how eager she'd been for it to finish, gesturing for Jay to leave ahead of her. Once the classroom was empty, she made her way up to the teacher's desk at the front of the room. Baudelaire was gathering her paperwork and looked up when she realised Nari wanted to speak with her.

"Mrs. Baudelaire, I wanted to talk to you about the group assignment..."

Her English teacher put down the stack of paper, leaning against the desk and giving Nari her full attention.

"It's just..." Nari continued, uncertain. "I wondered if maybe I could change partners?"

"You know that wouldn't be fair to the other students, Miss Miller."

"I understand, it's just that Har–," she cut herself off. " _Billy_ and I don't really get along and I think it'd be better if we stayed away from each other."

"You're a good student, Miller," Baudelaire told her. "If anyone in this class can keep him in line, it's you. You'll be graded on how you work together, so I suggest you find a way to get along. Good luck."

With that said, Baudelaire went back to gathering her things from her desk. Sighing in defeat, Nari readjusted her bag against her shoulder and sullenly walked out of the classroom.

"Trying to get rid of me already?" A voice behind her spoke, causing her to jump slightly.

Turning back around, she saw Billy leaning against the wall in the hallway, next to the classroom door. He looked mostly bored, but there was a hint of amusement in his eyes.

"I doubt it's an ideal situation for you either," she rolled her eyes.

"You're the one getting your panties in a twist over spilt beer," he shrugged, moving away from the wall and walking towards her.

"It's not just that!" She told him through gritted teeth. "You're just an asshole in general, so yeah, I'm not exactly thrilled at the prospect at doing an assignment with you."

"You don't even know me," he retorted.

She noted that he was much calmer than he had been at Zucky's and decided to test the waters.

"I know enough," she told him pointedly. "You're nothing but a bully, taking whatever chance you can get to pick on people who can't fight back, all to feed your ego and vent out your frustrations, rather than deal with whatever issues you have at home."

All traces of amusement left his eyes and Nari suddenly felt cold and worried that she had pushed too far. She had only been assuming that his behaviour stemmed from his home life, but it seemed she had hit a little too close to home.

"Look," she sighed. "If we're stuck together let's just try to get it over and done with as quickly as possible. Then we can go back to ignoring each other, sound good?"

"No, sweetheart" he said, his voice dripping with sardonicism as he stepped closer to her, intimidating her with his height. "Here's what's going to happen. You're going to muzzle that barking mouth of yours because you don't order me around. Do you understand? Or are we going to have a problem?"

Nari was seething internally; however, the way he was capable of switching so quickly from easy going and amused to cold and calculating once again caused her to feel frozen and she found herself simply nodding obediently.

"We'll meet up on Monday after class," he told her, seeming satisfied for the time being.

Nari watched as he walked down the hall, away from her as she already began berating herself. Part of her was annoyed at herself for backing down so easily, however a bigger part was reminded of Jay's words that morning in the surf and how true she knew them to be. She needed to control her temper around Billy. He'd warned her twice now and she didn't think she really wanted to find out what would happen if she tested him a third time.

* * *

Sunday night at Zucky's was a lot quieter than usual, leaving Nari and Eiza bored out of their minds, still with hours left of their shift to go. Eiza sat up on the counter, a textbook and a notebook spread out beside her as she chewed on a pencil.

"I don't get it," Nari said to her. "You're Mexican... why are you learning Spanish?"

"I grew up in foster care," Eiza shrugged and Nari could see she was uncomfortable talking about it. "I want to relearn, because it's my heritage, y'know?"

"Yeah, I get it," Nari smiled warmly at her.

Eiza had always been a little strange at times to her, but Nari figured that being brought up like that could make people turn out a lot worse than Eiza had. She busied herself by stocking up the napkins, leaving Eiza to her work and then looked up when the door to the deli opened, immediately wishing she hadn't.

"Nari!" Rachel beamed, immediately making her way over to her.

It wasn't her best friend that had been unwelcome, but rather the people she'd brought in with her. Dean had walked in with his arm around Rachel's waist and a cigarette between his lips. Billy wasn't far behind, his attention entirely focused on the busty blonde next to him. Finally, Vance was at the back of the group, that goofy grin lighting up his features as he surveyed the deli, before his gaze met with Nari's, causing his smile to grow. Well, Vance at least wasn't so bad in her opinion.

"Slow night, huh?" Rachel asked her, bringing her attention back to her best friend.

"Yeah," Nari sighed. "You didn't have to make it worse."

She gestured to the group Rachel had brought with her with a playful smile.

"Come on," Rachel laughed. "Be happy for me. Dean's not that bad when you get to know him."

"Well, you've definitely kept his attention longer than any other girl, although he'd be an idiot not to see how amazing you are."

Rachel smiled coyly and Nari came around to the other side of the counter, leading Rachel over to the table where the others had already sat down. As Rachel slid in beside Dean, him immediately slinging his arm across her shoulders, Nari noticed Billy looking around the deli, recognition in his eyes. It was when his gaze eventually found Nari that realisation seemed to dawn on him and his expression quickly settled back into one of disinterest.

"The food here is shit," he said to Rachel. "Couldn't you think of somewhere better to go?"

Before Nari could snap a retort back at him, Dean cut in.

"Come on man, it's the only place around here that's open this late."

Billy's busty blonde quickly distracted him again and Nari rolled her eyes, taking everyone's orders. Throughout the entire exchange, she could feel Vance's eyes on her and Jay's words from a few days prior popped back into her mind.

 _He keeps staring at you..._

Vance grinned up at her when she took his order, his eyes shining genuinely and kindly. His happiness was contagious and Nari couldn't help but smile back at him. When she turned to leave the table and take their order to the kitchen, she felt someone following her. Turning around, she saw that it was Vance.

"What's up, Van?" She asked him kindly.

"I wanted to talk to you, actually."

Nari instantly felt uncomfortable. She liked Vance a lot more than his friends, but after what Jay had said and the way he'd been watching her only moments earlier, she felt like she wasn't prepared for what he was about to say.

"Shoot," she said, trying to seem casual and not like a bundle of nerves.

"Acker's looking for a drummer, right?" He asked her, still smiling.

"Huh?" She blurted out dumbly. "Jay? Oh... yeah he is, actually. Do you play?"

"Yeah," he grinned. "Do you think he'd give me a shot?"

Nari stared at him in bewilderment for a moment. He'd probably been looking over at them in the surf and staring at her just now for this very reason and she'd read into it and assumed things that now made her feel like an idiot. Quickly composing herself, she smiled genuinely at Vance, who had started to look a little disheartened at her silence.

"I think he would, Van," she told him. "If you're any good."

She gave him a teasing grin and all doubt left him as he beamed widely at her again. If Rachel and Dean were going to continue whatever was happening between them, Nari knew she would have to get used to his friends. With that being the case, Vance would at least make that a lot more tolerable. As he went back to his table after she promised to talk to Jay for him, Nari looked back over at Billy and wondered how she'd survive being partnered to him for their English assignment. It seemed as though fate was determined to bring the two together, as much as they both evidently loathed the idea. Nari would just have to ride it out and try not to make things worse than they already were between the two of them. She was already dreading the next day when she'd have to spend time alone with him, working on their assignment.

* * *

 **A/N:** **I promise that all of my OC's have an important role to play in Billy and Nari's story and relationship. So what might seem like filler right now, is setting all of that up for the future.**

 **Feedback is always appreciated!**


	4. 4 - Cry In Shame

**A/N:** I'm posting this chapter early, as I won't have time to upload next week and I had a day off today to be able to write it. So there won't be an update next week, but rather the following one. Enjoy!

* * *

 ** _Pickin' up the pieces_** ** _up off the floor  
_** ** _How was I to know_** ** _t_** ** _here was gonna be a war?_** ** _  
_** ** _Words of sorrow_** ** _, w_** ** _ords of spite_** ** _  
_** ** _Ringin' in my head_** ** _r_** ** _ight through the night_** ** _  
_** ** _Don't you know it's a cryin' shame_** ** _  
_** ** _When you've got yourself to blame_**

 **\- Cry in Shame by Johnny Diesel and the Injectors (1989)**

* * *

Nari tried to concentrate on their presentation about _Oedipus_ , but it was hard to focus when Billy was sitting across from her, completely disinterested. She had bit her tongue when they'd sat down in the school library and he put his feet up on the desk, lounging back in his chair. She had let it go when he played with his zippo instead of giving any contribution towards their assignment. Nari tried very hard to keep her temper in check, because she knew that the sooner she got the assignment finished, the sooner she could keep a nice distance from him. Sighing, she pushed the page of notes over to his side of the desk, being careful to avoid touching his boots in the process. She screwed up her nose in annoyance, wondering how one person could be so inconsiderate.

"I've come up with a few ideas," she told him, motioning to the page of notes.

He picked it up lazily, giving it a brief lookover, before scrunching it up into a ball and throwing it up into the air before catching it again.

"No," was all he said in response, continuing to throw the paper ball and catch it repeatedly.

"What is your problem?" She seethed.

"I'm not going to spend ten minutes talking about…" he paused to smooth out the paper, before pointing to one of her notes. "Incest."

"Did you even read the play?" She asked with a roll of her eyes.

A shrug was his only response, only causing her limited amount of patience to become non-existent.

"Listen, Hargrove, I get that you don't want to be here so I don't really know why you bothered. I don't know what I expected, but if you're gonna be a useless jackass, just fuck off and let me do it on my own."

She jumped when he slammed his hand down on the table and had to admit that she was a little impressed by how quickly he moved from his lazy position to one where his feet were on the ground and he was leaning over the table, glaring at her.

"You just can't help running your mouth, can you?" He asked, back to being cold and calculating.

"Whatever, Hargrove," she huffed. "I'm sick of doing this dance with you. You're the one who is all talk and no action. I'm not going to let you intimidate me anymore. So one last time, either contribute or fuck off."

She moved her attention back down to her notes, trying to put her attention back onto _Oedipus._ She tried so hard to focus on the play that she didn't pay it any mind when he got out of his chair until the shock of being hoisted out of her own seat and pushed against the nearest shelf of books broke her from her thoughts.

"What the hell?" She called out.

Billy was holding her against the shelf in a vice like grip and she saw the anger in his blue eyes, wild like a storm. She could see conflict in them too, like he was trying to control his temper. Glancing around, she saw that no one was close enough to really pay them much mind, only making her shiver with nerves at what his next action might be. Looking back at him, Nari tried not to let her trepidation show.

"You got a death wish?" He asked her slowly, his voice deceivingly calm. "I've never laid a finger on a girl, but you seem pretty determined to make that change."

His grip on her tightened painfully and she winced, but he was clearly beyond the point of caring. His body seemed to cage her own, so that she couldn't focus on anything but him, leaving her feeling trapped and helpless. All that she could see, hear, smell and feel was him and it was suffocating.

"You like pushing me, huh?" He continued to taunt her. "I can think of a few -"

"What is going on here?" A shrill voice cut through the tension in the air, much to Nari's relief.

Looking to her left, she saw the librarian, Miss Colson, giving them both a stern look. Billy backed up, thankfully letting her go in the process and she breathed a little easier.

"Detention, both of you," Colson didn't miss a beat.

"But–" Nari tried to argue that she wasn't the one in the wrong.

"I don't want to hear it, Miss Miller," Colson cut her off. "Yelling in my library won't be tolerated. Detention, that's final."

Hearing footsteps behind her, Nari saw Billy already storming out of the library, his shoulders tense and his fists clenched. She sighed, wondering if they'd ever have a normal interaction where they weren't at each other's throats.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Nari walked into Zucky's for another shift, smiling when she saw Eiza already behind the counter. It was busy and as soon as she had tied her apron around her waist she was being thrust into work. There were countless tables to serve and she had to keep a smile plastered to her face for hours, making the satisfaction of their customers her top priority. It seemed never ending until later in the night, well past dinnertime when it finally became quiet again. Nari allowed herself a short rest, leaning against the counter as Eiza finished wiping down one of her own tables.

"You look more tired than usual," her colleague observed without looking up from her task. "Rough day at school?"

"You have no idea," Nari huffed, rubbing her arm where Billy had held it tightly earlier that afternoon.

Eiza finished wiping down the table and turned to Nari, observing her for a moment.

"That cute boy giving you trouble?"

Nari couldn't help but smile wryly at Eiza's insight. She had always had a knack for reading people, to a point where her perception was generally scarily accurate. Nari simply shrugged, confirming her colleague's words.

"You riled him up, didn't you?" Eiza smiled knowingly.

"Maybe," Nari reluctantly admitted. "But I wouldn't have gotten pissed off if he was capable of not being an asshole for five minutes!"

"It's a two way street, Nari. You can't expect him to keep his temper in check if you don't do the same."

"I've tried to work with him on this stupid assignment, but he has zero interest. How am I supposed to keep my cool when he's always acting like a jerk? It's not my fault his temper changes like the flip of a switch!"

"Has he always been hot headed?" Eiza questioned.

"Ever since I can remember… I think it comes from his home life."

"Well everyone deals with things in different ways," Eiza reasoned. "You of all people should know how people can lash out when they're struggling to deal with stuff."

Nari considered her friend's words, not appreciating the reminder of the root of her own anger issues.

"Whatever his issues are, it doesn't give him an excuse to be an asshole," Nari grumbled.

"No," Eiza agreed. "I'm just saying you don't have to provoke him. Maybe try to be a little more understanding and patient. You might find that it makes all the difference. People like that… sometimes all it takes is one person to help them through it."

"I'm not about to become buddies with Hargrove…"

Eiza rolled her eyes. "Just… be a bit more patient, okay? Try having at least one conversation with him that doesn't end in an argument. You might be surprised."

Nari considered it for a moment and while she knew that her behaviour towards Billy was somewhat justified, Eiza had a point. The last two times she'd interacted with him, her impatience had caused her irritation to flare, in turn setting off his own temper. While, she couldn't excuse his behaviour, she also couldn't deny that she had pushed him incessantly and was as much to blame for their arguments as he was.

"Fine…" she acquiesced.

"I'm sure if you don't let him rile you up, this project will be a lot easier for both of you."

Eiza pat her arm reassuringly before disappearing out the back to rinse out the cloth she'd been using to wipe down her tables. Nari contemplated on her words in silence, knowing she should take Eiza's advice. She figured it was worth a shot, since it couldn't get much worse than it already was.

* * *

Nari hadn't expected Billy to bother showing up for detention, so she was surprised to find him already in the room when she showed up. Sure enough, he looked like he'd rather be anywhere else, but he was there anyway. He continued to leave her perplexed and she stood in the doorway for what was probably longer than necessary.

"You don't have to wait for an invitation, Miss Miller," the teacher overseeing their detention drawled from his desk.

Nari had never really liked Mr Brooks and resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she made her way to one of the vacant desks.

It wasn't hard to find an empty seat, as she and Billy were the only ones there. When she was seated she stared expectantly at Brooks, expecting some sort of indication as to how exactly they'd be spending the two torturous hours they had to be there. However, Brooks didn't waste much time before getting up from his desk and moving towards the door.

"I'll be back in two hours," he told them. "I'll be locking the door behind me, so behave yourselves and take some time to reflect on the actions that got you here."

With that said, he walked out of the room, the click of the lock falling into place following his departure.

 _Lazy bastard,_ Nari thought to herself.

It wasn't long before an awkward silence fell upon the room and she sneaked a glance at Billy. He shifted slightly, as though he could sense her gaze on him but didn't say anything, instead choosing to pointedly ignore her. Her eyes widened and she bit back a gasp when she noticed a bruise on his cheek. It wasn't exactly a rare sight to see Billy Hargrove bruised, and like most other people she had always assumed he'd gotten into a fight, considering how easy it was to make his temper flare up. Yet, after her conversation with Eiza, she found herself suddenly wondering if it was more than it seemed. Recalling that conversation, Nari figured maybe two hours locked in a room alone together might be the best opportunity for a fresh start. Pushing aside her pride, she decided to try and have at least one conversation with him that didn't end in an argument. After all, maybe she had been overreacting about what happened at Dean's party. She had always made assumptions about him and in that moment she couldn't really pinpoint as to why that was.

"Look, Billy–"

"Jesus Christ, don't you ever shut up?"

Right, that was why.

"Do you have to constantly be a complete asshole?" She found herself snapping back at him.

So much for that fresh start…

"You're the one who landed us in detention," he retorted. "This isn't exactly how I would've chosen to spend my afternoon."

Taking a deep breath, Nari tried to focus on Eiza's advice rather than how much she wanted to slap that smartass smirk off Billy's face. She cooled her temper and decided to try again.

"Okay, well let's bail then," she suggested in a much calmer tone, reaching up into her hair and removing a bobby pin. "I have a talent for picking locks."

He turned to face her, giving her a condescending look.

"Yeah, and get us another couple of detentions for your trouble? Real bright idea, genius."

"Never picked you as a stickler for the rules, Hargrove."

"Yeah, and I never thought you'd be the one suggesting we break them."

"To be fair, you don't really know anything about me," she pointed out. "Come on, Brooks won't come back until our time's up. As long as we're back by then, he'll never know."

She waved the bobby pin in front of him, attempting to entice him into agreeing. So far so good, they hadn't gotten into a full blown argument and Nari wanted to prove to herself that she could at least get along with him, if only for the sake of her grades.

"Anything's better than being locked in this room," he finally agreed.

Grinning, Nari got up from her seat and moved over to the door. It didn't take too long before the lock clicked and she was able to open the door.

"Impressive," Billy complimented, throwing her off for a moment.

Eventually she just smiled and the two of them stepped out into the hallway, looking around to make sure Brooks wasn't in sight.

"Well, you learn a few tricks growing up with a Korean mom," she shrugged as they began walking down the hall.

"Must be _so_ hard," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Hmm, and for the record you landed _yourself_ in detention," she reminded him, subconsciously rubbing her arm.

He grew quiet for a moment and while she wasn't expecting an apology, his silence at least indicated that he regretted letting his temper get the better of him.

"If you'd just kept your mouth shut," he eventually said. "I could've been out with a girl right now"

"You wound me," she rolled her eyes. "I'm not good enough?"

He fell silent again and she stopped walking to turn and look at him. He was eyeing her up and down and when his eyes slowly trailed up her figure she felt uncomfortable as goosebumps prickled her skin and she wasn't entirely sure how she felt about the look in his eyes. When his gaze met hers it turned mischievous and his lips turned up in a roughish smile.

"Maybe if you were gagged, I'd consider it."

She almost choked from the audacity he had, stunned into silence as she stared at him in shock.

"Wow, I finally got you to keep quiet," he laughed.

"You pig," she scoffed, turning back around and continuing down the hallway.

A soft laugh was his only response and she brushed it off. She could have snapped at him, like every other time he'd said something that rubbed her the wrong way, but Nari was intrigued to see what would happen if she kept her cool. He was only teasing her, and while it wasn't necessarily amusing to her, there was no harm done. Anything was better than his painful grip and the wild look in his eyes when they'd been in the library. She came to a stop outside the school's gymnasium and an idea popped into her head. She knew he played for the Vikings, having sat in those bleachers and seen him play a couple of times. Nari turned to face him once again and he looked at her with curiosity. She smiled at him, having worked out a way to pass the time.

"How long have you played basketball?" She asked him.

"Since I was a kid," he replied, clearly confused as to where this was going.

"Should we play a game?" She suggested.

His only response was to give her an incredulous look.

"Can you think of a better way to pass the time?" She asked him with a raised eyebrow.

After a moment, he shrugged, moving past her and into the gymnasium. He grabbed a ball and gave her another once over after she had followed him inside.

"Do you even know how to play?" He asked.

"Sort of," she shrugged.

He didn't miss a beat and she quickly ducked when he threw the ball her way.

"You're generally supposed to, you know, _catch_ the ball," he deadpanned.

"Ha-ha, smartass," she rolled her eyes, moving to pick up the ball. "A bit of warning would've been nice."

She tried to return the favour, throwing the ball back to him without notice, but his reflexes were too quick and he easily caught the ball, smirking at her from across the court. They began to play a fairly relaxed game and Nari became frustrated when it was clear that he was easily beating her by a long shot. He wasn't even trying to hide his amusement and while it was a nice change to see a smile on his face, her competitive streak only made her more determined to gain the upper hand and wipe the stupid smirk from his face. He moved effortlessly across the court and deep down Nari knew she could never keep up, yet it didn't deter her.

"Give it up, Miller," he taunted, easily keeping out of her grasp as he dribbled the ball lazily. "You need to learn to admit defeat."

Glaring at him, she only became more stubborn from his teasing. Moving quickly across the court, she attempted to steal the ball from him, but his smirk simply grew as he easily lifted it above her and shot it somewhere behind her. Turning, she saw it go smoothly through the hoop, giving him yet another point against her. Her body slumped in defeat and she almost jumped when she felt a hand settle on her shoulder.

"Don't be too hard on yourself," he teased, his voice right by her ear. "You never had a chance."

"You jerk!" She complained, turning back around to face him. "I'll show you–"

"Time's up," he interrupted her, gesturing to the clock on the wall.

Looking up, she noticed that he was right. They needed to return to that classroom before Brooks came back. She narrowed her eyes, feeling disappointed that Billy had managed to completely kick her ass at the game.

"This isn't over, Hargrove," she promised him as they began to head out of the gymnasium.

"I'll hold you to that," he grinned, clearly amused as he followed her back out into the hall.

When Brooks returned it was clear that he was confused at the door being unlocked. He eyed the two teens, both of whom looked back at him innocently and while he was clearly suspicious at the way they were both slightly sweaty, he had no proof that they'd left the room and simply shrugged it off. Nari imagined that he thought they couldn't hear it when he muttered ' _teenagers'_ to himself and she stifled a laugh. He let them go, waving them both off and they didn't waste much time before leaving. There was silence between the two of them until they exited the school doors and got to the parking lot.

"You need a ride?" Billy asked her, sounding somewhat hesitant.

She tried not to show her surprise, not so much at the offer but the way he said it. He'd sounded almost cautious about asking her such a simple thing.

"I'm good," she replied with a smile, gesturing to her skateboard.

He gave her a funny look and she laughed.

"What? We can't all afford a ride like yours, Hargrove."

"No, it's just…" he trailed off, letting out a short laugh. "You reminded me of my sister for second there."

"She must be a cool girl," Nari grinned.

He simply shrugged, the smile not leaving his face.

"Your loss," he gestured to his car.

When he saw that she wasn't going to take him up on the offer, he moved to his Camaro, throwing his stuff onto the passenger seat before getting in behind the wheel. His gaze met hers and she simply sent him a wave as the engine started, that loud rumble filling the air. She watched as he sped off, thinking back on the afternoon. She'd succeeded in not arguing with him, but the whole encounter left her mind reeling. When she had simply viewed Billy Hargrove as the asshole she wanted nothing to do with it was easy, because she at least had some idea of where they stood. However, now that she had actually managed to get along with him and – dare she say – had actually _enjoyed_ his company, she didn't know what that meant. He was a lot more than just the hot headed asshole she'd always believed him to be, that much she now knew. So, where did they go from here? She wouldn't exactly call them friends, but she also wasn't too keen on going back to arguing every time they were in the same room. One thing was certain to Nari; time spent with Billy was never dull.


	5. 5 - Kiss Off

**A/N:** Well, I said I wouldn't be able to update this week and I honestly thought that would be the case. But I had some free time so here's the next chapter. I hope it's okay, I promise that things will pick up more in either the next chapter or the one after that.

* * *

 ** _Situation gets rough, then I start to panic_**

 ** _It's not enough, it's just a habit_**

 ** _"_ _Hey kid, you're sick,"_**

 ** _Well, darling this is it_**

 **\- Kiss Off by the Violent Femmes (1983)**

* * *

"So how was detention?" Rachel asked, and even over the phone Nari could sense the suggestiveness in her tone.

She was sitting on her bed, twirling the cord of the phone around her finger as her homework sat untouched in front of her.

"Pretty boring," she brushed off, sensing where this was going.

"Really?" She heard Rachel say in disbelief. "So, you're trying to tell me that you didn't argue with Billy for once?"

"Yes, actually," Nari sighed. "We managed to get along."

"Oh my god, tell me everything!"

"There's nothing to tell. It's not like two people getting along is newsworthy, Rach."

"Lately whenever he's even mentioned – let alone in the same room – you act like it's the end of the world. So yeah, it's kind of a big deal if you managed to spend two hours locked in a room with him and didn't get into a fight."

"Well maybe I was sick of constantly arguing with him," Nari reasoned. "Turns out he's not so bad when he isn't walking around acting like he's better than everyone else."

"See! I told you he's okay once you get to know him… and you two have this fiery chemistry, just like Dean and I-"

"What's going on between you two, anyway?" Nari cut her off, taking the opportunity to change the topic. "Are you two a thing now?"

Rachel took the bait, quickly going on to gush about Dean and fill Nari in on their relationship. Nari smiled to herself, knowing that Rachel meant well but really just liked the idea of her and Billy being a thing because she and Dean were dating and Nari was Rachel's best friend, while Billy was Dean's. There was definitely no chemistry between them; they had managed to have a civil encounter _once_ and Nari knew deep down that they hadn't had their last argument. Yet, for the moment she was content to be happy for Rachel and let her ramble about Dean, pushing her best friend's words about her and Billy to the back of her mind.

* * *

The sky was still dark, blanketing the streets of Santa Monica in darkness, with only the yellow-orange glow of the streetlamps illuminating them. Nari made her way quietly out of her house, careful not to wake her parents. She was hardly at home lately, always leaving at the crack of dawn to go to the beach and either spending time with her friends or working late into the night after school. A year ago her mother would have ensured that she was at home more often, but things were different now and Nari made the most of her newfound freedom. She stepped onto her skateboard once she was out in the street and immediately set off, having the road mostly to herself at that hour. She loved the rush of the wind in her hair and the speed with which she moved, weaving around cars and other obstacles like the board was simply an extension of her body. She headed for the beach, stopping close to the old P.O.P. where she saw Jay chatting with Vance, much to her surprise. Untucking her surfboard from under her arm, Nari placed it down on the sand, looking over to the blonde with a smile.

"Hey Van," she greeted.

"Nari!" He beamed. "We were just talking about the band. We're having our first jam session today, do you wanna come?"

"I wish I could, but I have to study with Billy after school. Speaking of, are you here by yourself?"

Before he could answer, she felt her hair being ruffled up from someone behind her, followed by a low chuckle.

"Aww you missed me, Miller? Rach might get jealous."

Turning around, she saw Dean behind her in his unzipped wetsuit, the top half hanging around his waist and exposing his chest. To say she was surprised would be an understatement, but she decided to just go with it. Looking at the playful glint in his eyes and the wicked grin adorning his lips, Nari thought – not for the first time – that sometimes he and Billy looked like brothers. Dean had a similar haircut to Billy, although his wavy dark brown locks were a stark contrast to Billy's golden-brown curls. Similarly, while they both had blue eyes, Dean's were more of an intense electric blue, while Billy's were a lighter and softer shade. Yet, there were moments, such as when they smiled a genuine grin, that they looked so alike. It threw her off to have Dean looking at her like that, bringing Billy immediately into her mind. Her silence only made Dean's smirk widen and she came back to reality too late, knowing that look meant nothing good.

"Or I guess you actually wanted to see Billy," he continued, teasingly. "Sorry to disappoint."

"In his dreams," Nari rolled her eyes.

"C'mon, man, leave her alone," Vance cut in. "Where is Billy, anyway?"

"I don't know, I'm not his mother," Dean shrugged. "Guess he's not coming. Does it matter?"

Nari turned back around just in time to see Vance let out a sigh, as Jay started heading to the water. She quickly picked up her surfboard and followed him, happy with the size of the waves. The sun was starting to peak out over the horizon, causing the sky to light up with warm colours. Vance and Dean followed along behind them and Nari figured they planned to tag along that morning. She jumped onto her board as soon as she was deep enough in the surf and paddled out. Nari had skated for longer than she had surfed, but she enjoyed the latter far more. There was something exhilarating about moving along with the wave, the salty air in your hair and the way the water made your skin feel fresh and rejuvenated afterwards. Nari never felt so free as she did in the surf, losing herself in the ocean and not forgetting everything else for the moment. She caught a few waves, ignoring the others around her for the time being. It was only when she sat back down on her board, watching Jay take on one of the waves that she acknowledged the other two boys again.

"Think we could ever get Rach to come out here?" Dean asked her.

"I hate to break it to you," Nari laughed. "But it's a miracle she even gets up in time for school. There's no way she'd get up when it's still dark."

"Hey, I can think of a few ways _I_ might be able to persuade her," he winked.

"Gross," she crinkled up her nose in disgust, letting out a laugh.

"When did you start surfing, Nari?" Vance joined their conversation.

"Jay's dad started teaching me when I was about ten," she replied. "I'd already been skating practically since I could walk, so I pretty much instantly loved it."

Dean move to paddle back out and catch another wave, so she turned her full attention towards Vance.

"You've surfed since you were really little, right?" She asked him. "I can't remember a time I haven't seen you out here."

"Yeah," he replied, that ever-present smile never faltering. "Been surfing and drumming ever since I can remember. You really can't make it this afternoon?"

"Trust me, I'd definitely rather be there than forcing Billy to work on this assignment, but I'm already scared of failing."

"You never used to care that much about your grades," he pointed out.

"Yeah, but bad grades don't really get you far," she shrugged, looking away.

"Well, I guess I'll let it slide this time," he spoke gently, coaxing her to look back up at him. "If you promise to come next time, deal?"

She smiled, unable to help herself.

"Deal," she agreed with a soft laugh.

She had always liked Vance and gotten along with him. He had an aura about him that was both uplifting and calming. His positive, carefree nature made him instantly likeable and she was glad that he'd joined Jay's band. Turning her attention to her oldest friend, she saw that he was looking back at her, observing her and Vance with an odd expression. It was almost like he knew something she didn't, smiling at her in a way that suggested something she couldn't quite figure out. She eventually brushed it off, deciding that there were certain things about boys she would never understand. Instead she returned her attention to the surf, not wasting anymore thoughts on the guys surrounding her.

* * *

"Are you gonna come and see Vance play this afternoon?" Rachel asked as she and Nari walked through the school hallways.

"Don't remind me," Nari groaned. "I'd rather be doing that than staying back with Hargrove. At this rate I'll have to hold a gun to his head to get any contribution from him."

"This is your chance," Rachel grinned like the cat who got the canary. "You two can get closer and then you can make your move."

Nari sighed, but before she could shut her best friend down, she was cut off.

"You might want to get a move on though, since it looks like Kelsey McCrane is pretty persistent…"

Rolling her eyes, Nari followed Rachel's gaze to find Kelsey talking to Billy. She looked upset about something, pouting and whining at him. Billy, however, just looked like he was becoming increasingly pissed off and Nari couldn't help but pity the other girl. She watched as Kelsey jumped when he suddenly snapped at her, the girl quickly shrinking back with tears beginning to well up in her eyes. Nari sighed when he stormed off and was already regretting it when she took a step to follow after him, leaving Rachel dumfounded behind her. She caught up to him outside the school building, reaching out to grab his arm.

"Billy," she spoke softly.

He stopped and slowly turned around and Nari noted that she had definitely seen him a lot angrier and allowed herself to be relieved at that.

"Are you okay?" She asked, trying not to make his temper worse.

"I'm fine," he gritted out, not convincing in the least.

"You didn't have to snap at her," she chided him lightly. "You really need to learn to control that temper of yours."

She had said it as a joke, trying to get him to lighten up, but it seemed she still had a lot to learn about Billy Hargrove.

"The last time I checked, it wasn't any of your business, Miller," he seethed.

"Maybe not," she allowed. "But I just saw how angry you looked, and I wanted to–"

"You wanted to what?" He snapped, cutting her off. "We're not friends, Miller. Just because I dragged your ass through the mud in a game of ball doesn't mean we're gonna start braiding each other's hair and trading friendship bracelets. So, just _fuck off,_ would you?"

She stared at him in shock for a moment before the anger started to bubble up inside of her. Before she said something that she would no doubt later regret, Nari turned around and gave him exactly what he wanted, heading back towards the school building and leaving him to be alone. Her body seemed to be shaking with repressed anger as she walked, and she didn't pay her surroundings much mind until she bumped right into someone. She felt them grab her arms, steadying her and she looked up to see Dean smiling sympathetically down at her. Looking behind him, she saw Rachel who was looking towards the direction she had left Billy standing in with wide eyes.

"It's better to just leave him alone when he's like that," Dean advised her.

"So I've discovered," she mumbled.

"Rach said you have a free period?" He asked, slinging a friendly arm around her shoulder and leading her over to the girl in question.

"Yeah," she confirmed.

"C'mon then," he smiled. "We're gonna grab some food. Van's treat."

She nodded her head, agreeing to the offer and Rachel gave her a hesitant smile. Nari was thankful that her best friend at least didn't say one word about Billy the whole time they were out.

* * *

Billy felt a lot calmer by the time school was out for the day, the irritating bitch that was Kelsey McCrane shoved to the back of his mind by that point. When he got to the school's amphitheatre, he saw Nari waiting for him and already looking pissed off before he'd even had a chance to open his mouth. He couldn't help but be amused and as soon as she spotted him, she didn't waste a second before she was setting on him.

"I've been waiting here for fifteen minutes!" She complained. "I have better things to do than wait around for you all afternoon. I swear to God, if you had your tongue down some girls throat, I will–"

His amusement peaked when Max stepped out from behind him, effectively shutting her up. Max already looked bored out of her mind and hobbled over to the concrete steps of the amphitheatre, her crutches supporting her. Nari's eyes followed the girl, clearly taking in her leg that was covered in a cast.

"Can we get this over with?" He brought her attention back to him.

"Right," she said, noticeably calmer now as she went over to her schoolbag, pulling out some paper. "I wrote you a summary of the play. Can you please read through it so we can actually start making some progress?"

She was being sickeningly sweet, but Billy didn't have any interest in finding out why. All he wanted was a passing grade to keep his dad off his back. Sitting down on the cold concrete steps, he lit up a cigarette and tried to focus on the neatly scrawled words on the page. He was already losing interest one sentence in, so when he heard Nari strike up a conversation with Max he tuned into whatever distraction he could get.

"You're Billy's sister?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm Max."

Max was a little reserved, but if he knew one thing about Nari it was how persistent she could be.

"How'd you break your leg?" She asked the younger girl.

"Skateboarding," was her short answer.

"I skate too," Nari smiled, gesturing to her board.

He watched as Max's eyes lit up slightly and in any other situation Billy would have drowned them out already. Yet, when his choices were listening to the two girls talking about skateboarding instead of reading about the ancient Greek tragedy, he found the former a lot more interesting. He observed as Max talked to Nari animatedly, going into details about whatever trick she'd been attempting when she'd broken her leg. He barely managed to supress his scoff at how blasé she sounded about the whole thing now, considering she'd been crying a river from the pain when it happened. His attention eventually shifted to Nari, studying her for a moment. She was fairly thin, but she had curves in all the places that mattered, and her dyed golden hair made her glow, especially on the rare occasion he'd seen her smile. But she wasn't the type he'd ever go for. There was just something about her that wasn't like the girls he went after – probably the fact that she never knew when to keep her mouth shut. That's why he couldn't understand the way Vance was crushing on her like a lovesick puppy. The guy could have any girl, but he was completely caught up in her. Billy knew Vance didn't think anyone knew, but he wasn't an idiot, and everyone could see how he felt except for Nari herself.

"No way!" Max exclaimed, bringing Billy's attention back to her.

Her eyes were wide, and the faintest smile tilted up her lips. "You met Peggy Oki!?"

"Yeah," Nari laughed. "She was really cool. Signed my skateboard and everything. I haven't used that one ever since. I don't want anything to happen to it."

"That's so cool…" Max breathed out.

Nari laughed before her gaze moved over to Billy.

"You done?" She asked him.

"Yeah," he lied, not bothered enough to read through it.

"Okay, so," she started to ramble on about her plans for the presentation and Billy quickly got lost, not following a single thing she was saying.

She eventually caught on, sighing as she gave him an exasperated look.

"Really, Hargrove?" She groaned. "I even dumbed it down for you and it's _still_ too much?"

Before he could snap a retort back at her, Max was cutting in.

"Why don't you just talk about how the message of the story still has significance today?"

Turning to look at her, Billy saw that Max had taken Nari's notes and read through them.

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking too!" Nari beamed.

She started telling her ideas to Max and while the girl looked a little lost at times as well, she gave occasional input and Billy was content to sit back and let them do the work for him; he couldn't care less as long as he passed. Eventually, Nari seemed content enough to call it a day and he was relieved.

"We can give you a ride," Max told Nari as the older girl was packing her stuff back into her school bag. "Right, Billy?"

"I'm okay," Nari declined with a smile before he could say anything. "Thanks for the offer though."

He watched as she ruffled up Max's hair playfully.

"See ya, grommet," she grinned. "Maybe one day we can skate together, once that leg is healed."

"Hopefully," Max smiled back at her.

Nari gave him a short wave before she skated off and he quickly headed for the parking lot, wanting to drop Max off so he could go out for the night. When they got into his Camaro, Max seemed to be bubbling with energy, quickly getting on his nerves.

"She's cool," she said eventually. "Are you two dating?"

He let out a laugh, finding the idea more than just a little amusing.

"No."

"Good," she grinned, quickly making his own smile fade. "She's way out of your league."

For a moment he was thrown off by her comment before he brushed it off, because what would a kid like her know? He turned up the volume and let his mind become consumed by Judas Priest rather than Max's laughs or thoughts of the blonde girl with the fiery temper to match his own.

* * *

 **A/N:** I just want to clarify that I don't think Billy is dumb and I hope the writing doesn't make it come across that way. I see him more as the type where he's disinterested and can't be bothered. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! As always, any feedback is greatly appreciated.


	6. 6 - Stranglehold

**A/N:**

I haven't been well since the weekend, as I've been sick with a virus. If this chapter isn't the best, I apologise and I'll likely revisit it later to edit and improve it. As always thank you to those who have left feedback, it's always greatly appreciated and keeps me motivated.

\- Posted Aug 14, 2019

* * *

 _ **The road I cruise is a bitch now, baby**_

 _ **You know you can't turn me 'round**_

 _ **And if a house gets in my way, baby**_

 _ **You know I'll burn it down**_

 **\- Stranglehold by Ted Nugent (1975)**

* * *

The late October weather was still fairly warm in L.A. and Nari's favourite holiday had arrived. Although her trick-or-treating days were now far behind her, there was always some kind of big Halloween party that kept the spirit alive. This year it was Vance hosting the biggest party, which was sure to bring in a pretty mixed crowd since she didn't know of a single person he didn't get along with. She had decided to dress up as a witch for the party, wearing a black velvet cocktail dress with a plunging neckline that hugged her curves and reached mid-thigh. Around her shoulders was a flowing black velvet cape and she had decided to wear a long black wig, which was far closer to her natural hair colour than the blonde locks she currently had. Atop the wig sat a classic black witches hat, with some black chiffon hanging from the back of it, almost like a veil. Her makeup was minimal, but the red lipstick she wore stood out from the all black outfit. The look was very different to what she normally wore, but that was the point. When she was finished getting ready, she stepped out of the bathroom at Jay's house and went into his bedroom, stepping into a haze of smoke as she did so. She spotted him lounging on his bed and he looked up once he noticed her.

"Wow," he let out a low whistle. "You look great."

He handed her the blunt he'd been smoking and she eyed him up and down as she toked on it.

"Wish I could say the same for you," she joked. "Where's your costume?"

He reached over to his dresser, grabbing a pair of aviator sunglasses and putting them on, before stretching his arms out beside him, as though to say, _ta-da_! She rolled her eyes at him, then noticing that he was wearing leather pants as well.

" _Really,_ Jay? You're going as Jim Morrison again?"

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it," he shrugged.

"Whatever," she laughed. "Come on, let's go."

It didn't take long before they were leaving his house and it was only a short walk to Vance's house. She spotted a familiar face turning up at the same time and called out to her. It was Jodi, holding a wooden cane in one hand and wearing a lilac leotard paired with a white skirt, white stockings and pale blue legwarmers.

"Hey," Jodi grinned when they approached her.

"What's your costume?" Nari asked, knowing it seemed familiar but not able to figure it out completely.

To her surprise, Jodi cleared her throat before leaning closer to her.

"You've got big dreams, you want fame," Jodi recited, beginning to tap her cane against the ground and Nari grinned as it suddenly dawned on her. "Well fame costs. And right here is where you start paying – in sweat!"

"I would have figured that out of all of them, you'd go as Coco," Nari laughed. "You look a lot like her actually."

"Miss Grant is more recognisable as a costume," Jodi shrugged.

Nari loved the character of Lydia Grant but wasn't sure that anyone at this party watched _Fame_ on Thursday nights. Therefore, she doubted anyone would understand Jodi's outfit. Nonetheless, she thought it was an interesting costume idea. They went inside, Jodi and Jay already striking up a conversation and leaving Nari to smoke the new joint Jay had lit up on the way over. She spotted Rachel and Dean pretty quickly after going inside and had to chuckle at their costume choice. Dean was dressed as Han Solo, in the classic outfit associated with the character. To compliment him, Rachel had dressed up as Princess Leia, however rather than going for the iconic white dress and cinnamon buns, she wore Leia's slave outfit from the most recent film. Nari had to admit that her best friend certainly pulled off the outfit and the two looked amazing. Rachel gave her a big hug when she saw her and as she pulled away, she quickly stole the joint from Nari's fingers, taking it for herself.

"You look amazing," Rachel gushed and Nari noticed she was wearing the new lipstick she'd made for her.

"Thanks, so do you guys."

"Hey, Miller," Dean greeted. "You want a drink?"

"Sure," she smiled at him.

While Dean went over to the keg to grab her some beer, the two best friends chatted together.

"Van was looking for you earlier," Rachel told her, holding back a laugh. "Wait until you see his costume."

"Oh God, how bad is it?"

"It's not so much bad as it is... _extreme_ ," Rachel bursted into giggles.

"Is Hargrove here?" Nari changed the topic.

"Yeah," Rachel gave her an odd look but seemed smart enough not to make any comments. "He's around here somewhere. Maybe just try and avoid him?"

"I'm a big girl, Rach. I can handle him."

Before Rachel could reply Dean was back, handing them both plastic red cups filled with beer. The three soon moved through the crowd, heading towards the back yard as Van Halen's _Hang 'Em High_ blared through the speakers. She saw a tub of water filled with apples and a small crowd was gathered around it as a guy dunked his head to try and bite one of the apples. When he was successful and lifted his head up with the apple in his mouth, Nari couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh my God, it's not…"

Rachel followed her gaze, also letting out a giggle. Vance's long blonde hair fell around his bare shoulders, as his chest was mostly exposed, only covered by straps of studded leather pulled together in a design reminiscent of a double draw shoulder gun holster, yet with a shoulder pad on the left. His red and black leather pants were also studded, and bands of leather also adorned his arms. He had the hair to pull off his costume choice of Vince Neil, but it was an odd choice. Mötley Crüe may have dominated the stage in their crazy, _Road Warrior_ inspired outfits, but Vance just looked like an absolute goofball. He spotted her, the apple dropping from his mouth and to the ground as he made his way over to her. Funnily enough, Rachel and Dean chose that moment to walk off, leaving Nari alone.

"Nari, you came!" He beamed, picking her up and spinning her around as his arms wrapped around her in a tight hug.

"Hey Van," she laughed.

He set her down, stepping back slightly but keeping a grip on her arms.

"You look gorgeous," he complimented her with a sweet grin.

"Thanks… you, uh, look interesting."

"Wrong hair colour for Tommy," was all he said with a shrug, earning another laugh from her. "Can I get you anything? A drink or…?"

"I'm good," she held up her drink.

It fell silent between the two and for the first time, Nari felt a little awkward in Vance's presence. It looked like he wanted to say something but was holding back. She wasn't really sure what to say and didn't want to push him into revealing whatever was on his mind. So, the two stood in awkward silence, Nari lifting her drink to her lips so she had _something_ to do. A loud cheer thankfully grabbed their attention after a few moments, the two of them turning to the source of the noise. A girl Nari didn't recognise had gotten up on top of the outdoor table and was peeling off her shirt. The cheers escalated when she successfully removed her top, her large, bare breasts bouncing freely as she threw the garment away. Nari and Vance glanced back at each other before simultaneously bursting into laughter. As her laughs died down, she took another swig of her drink, quickly finishing it.

"On second thoughts, I might take you up on that offer for a drink."

He smiled, taking her hand (much to her surprise) and leading her through the crowd once again. When they reached the kitchen, she propped herself up on the counter as Vance dug through the cupboards.

"How about a cocktail?" He suggested, pulling out a blender.

"Wow, I didn't know you were so talented," she teased.

He just winked at her in response before moving over to the fridge and grabbing whatever ingredients he needed.

"So what's this called, then?" She asked playfully as he began to put what very much looked like a random assortment of fruits and juice with _a lot_ of vodka into the blender.

"Uhh…" he trailed off. "Fruit Surprise?"

"That's absolutely awful, Van," she giggled hysterically. "You're not even trying."

"Okay, I guess you can do better, then?"

She held up her hands in mock surrender and when he started up the blender, she watched him with an amused smile. Once it was all blended up, he handed her a suspicious looking concoction and she raised an eyebrow at him in response.

"Come on," he coaxed. "At least try it."

She took a tentative sip before her features smoothed out and she relaxed.

"It's not bad, actually," she shrugged, earning a grin from him.

He grabbed a cup for himself, taking a big sip before coughing violently.

"Fuck," he wheezed out. "That's disgusting."

She gave him a mischievous smirk and he moved closer to her, shaking his head.

"You've got a pretty good game face, I'll give you that."

Her smirk became a wide grin and the two stared at each other for a moment. Nari became aware of the awkward atmosphere settling over the two once again as they both ran out of things to say.

"Nari…" he eventually said, but from the look in his eyes she wasn't sure if she was glad that he broke the silence. "There's something I wanted to–"

"Hey, Van!" Someone yelled from across the room.

She watched as he reluctantly tore his gaze away from her, before his eyes widened.

"What the fuck?" He breathed out.

She followed his gaze, only for her own eyes to widen in shock. One of the cushions from his couch had been lit on fire and Vance quickly left the kitchen, walking over to put it out. She shook her head in amusement, turning back around and looking down at the 'cocktail' he had made her. She wondered what he had been about to say, but deep down she already knew. As much as she liked Vance, it wasn't in _that_ way and the idea of what he might have been about to ask her made her feel uncomfortable.

"Lighten up, Miller," a voice startled her from her thoughts. "Jesus, you look like someone just died."

Looking up, she saw none other than Billy Hargrove and she let out a huff of annoyance. He moved over to the counter where she was perched, eyeing the blender full of Vance's horrible drink. She watched with amusement as he poured himself a cup of it, before lifting up the cup to her.

"Hey, we should toast our achievement today," he suggested, voice dripping with sarcasm. "We managed to get through that presentation without killing each other."

She thought back to school earlier that day and how they had, in fact, managed to get through their presentation on _Oedipus_ without a hitch. She, for one, was just glad it was over and that she would no longer have to feel like she would need to hold a gun to his head just to force him to study. Bringing her attention back to the present, she watched as he swigged back the drink, downing it in one go. To her disappointment, he only grimaced, not paying it much mind.

"You make that?" He asked her.

"No way," she laughed, downing the rest of hers as well. "And if you're going to toast anyone it should be Max and I, since we did all the work."

"What Baudelaire doesn't know won't hurt her," he shrugged.

"Is that your costume, by the way?" She asked him with a raised brow, eyeing his regular clothes.

"I'm not seven," he retorted.

"You're such a spoil sport," she teased. "Besides, you definitely wouldn't see a kid in Rach's costume."

"You could take some pointers from her," he didn't miss a beat, eyeing her up and down.

"Come on. You don't like my costume?"

She hopped off the counter, doing a little twirl for him, which caused her cape to flare out around her in the process. She stumbled a little when she stopped, feeling a little dizzy after drinking Vance's cocktail. It might have tasted awful, but it was pretty strong. She was surprised when Billy caught her, steadying her on her feet.

"I'm just saying it's a little boring," he replied, letting his hands drop from her arms.

"You're one to talk," she slapped his upper arm playfully. "Least you could've done is put a shirt on."

She poked his bare chest and, in the process, realised she was definitely already tipsy.

"How much of that shit did you drink?" He asked, definitely noticing.

"Just the one," she shrugged.

"Should've known you'd be a lightweight," he shook his head with a small smile as she looked innocently back up at him.

"There you are!" A new voice cut in. "I've been waiting for _ages_!"

Nari looked to the entrance of the kitchen to see a girl pouting at Billy. His attention was immediately captured by the busty blonde and Nari rolled her eyes with a laugh, expecting nothing less. He opened the fridge, finding some bottles of beer, before slinging his arm around the girl and leading her out of the kitchen. Nari grabbed herself another cup of Vance's disastrous drink, figuring that it would at least get her drunk quickly. She moved back out into the crowded living room, weaving through the crowd as Mötley Crüe's _Too Fast For Love_ began playing. She felt a hand grab her wrist and turned to see Rachel grinning at her.

"C'mon, let's dance," her best friend pulled her into a more open space.

Nari smiled back at her, quickly downing the drink once again and immediately feeling it hit her. The two began to dance together, bodies close and hips moving rhythmically to the music. It wasn't the kind of song she normally danced to, but they made it work and she quickly became lost in the beat, singing along to the lyrics and ignoring all the other people in the room. When she felt hands grip her waist, she initially thought it was Rachel, but when the overwhelming smell of cigarettes invaded her senses she quickly tensed up.

"Don't stop on my account," the last voice she wanted to hear spoke into her ear.

She stumbled away from him, but he managed to grab her wrist in a vice like grip, spinning her back around to face him. Across from her was Johnny Slater, who she hadn't seen since Dean's party. He was a couple of grades above them, so she didn't see him much at school, but he still sometimes hung around Billy's group of friends. Even back when she despised Billy, she would've taken him over Slater any day. He was tall and skinny with greasy black hair and there was something in his gaze whenever he looked at her that made her skin crawl. He pulled her closer to him and her heart raced in her chest as she tried to remain calm.

"What do you say," he leant down, speaking into her ear and making her shiver in disgust. "We go somewhere more… private. I've always wondered what'd it be like fucking a gook."

Her eyes narrowed in anger at the slur and she pulled back enough to glare at him.

"Let her go, Slater," she heard Rachel from behind her.

"Fuck off, Taylor," he spat without looking away from Nari.

"I'm not going anywhere with you," Nari seethed, giving him a chance to let her go. "So, get your disgusting hands off me."

His grip only tightened on her wrist. "You don't get a choice."

Her anger had reached its breaking point and she swiftly lifted up her knee, getting him right in the balls. It was enough to make him let go and she lifted up her arms to push him roughly to the ground.

"Take a fucking hint, you jackass," she fumed at him.

He moved to get up from the ground and make another move towards her, when suddenly she was gently pushed back as another figure stood in front of her. The familiar long blonde hair was all it took for her to know it was Vance.

"You heard her," he said to Slater, sounding like he was barely controlling his own anger. "Get the fuck out."

Vance's physique was a lot bigger than Slater's, so after a moment he picked his battles and left. Vance watched until he was out of sight, before turning back to Nari, the rage in his gaze being replaced with concern. He gently took hold of her hand and she let him lead her out of the room and into the bathroom. On the way she caught sight of Billy and his girl of the night, the former staring at her with an unreadable expression. Once they were in the bathroom, she sat down on the edge of the tub, taking deep breaths to calm herself down. She could've handled herself, but she was glad for Vance stepping in, nonetheless.

"Are you okay?" He asked her softly, to which she simply nodded.

He gently took hold of her wrist, which Slater had held in his tight grip, noticing how red it was.

"I should put some ice on it," he told her, already moving back to the door.

"It's okay," she stopped him, feeling dizzy. "I'll be fine."

He moved to sit next to her, his shoulders slumping in defeat as he clearly wanted to help her but didn't know how.

"I could kill him," he muttered.

"It could've been worse," she pointed out, her words slightly slurred. "I'm more angry than anything. I can't stand that slimy asshole."

"Well you were pretty badass, knocking him down like that. I'm sorry I didn't get there sooner."

"Not your fault," she shrugged.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked again.

"Yeah, Van," she sighed. "I just want another drink."

"Okay," he stood up, before holding his hand out to her.

She took it and he helped her up, before leading her back out to the living room.

"Wait here," he said. "I'll get you another drink and some ice for your wrist. I'll be right back, okay?"

She nodded and he disappeared back into the crowd. The more the music blared around her and the more she looked at the other people in the crowd around her, the more she realised she just wanted to leave. Her mood had been killed, so she headed towards the door, picking up a half-finished drink on the way and downing it, letting the alcohol burn down her throat. The fresh air was soothing when it hit her and she stumbled down the driveway, the more she walked, the more she realised how much the alcohol was affecting her. Eventually, she tripped on her cape, almost falling to the ground, but strong arms were there to catch her. She heard a sigh, as she was steadied back onto her feet.

"You owe me, Miller."

It was Billy and she found herself slumping back into his hold, making him grunt from the unexpected extra weight.

"You're heavier than you look," he laughed softly. "Come on."

He began leading her down the driveway and she followed willingly until his blue Camaro came into view.

"Ani, ani," she panicked. "'M not getting in that."

"Yes you are."

"Nope."

"Why not?" He let out another sigh.

"Because…" She trailed off as a hiccup escaped her lips. "Um… you've been drinking too."

"I'm fine," he tried to reason with her. "Get in the car, I'm taking you home."

"I don't want to go home," she protested sulkily.

If she had been sober, she would've noticed how quickly he was losing his patience and wondered why he was trying so hard to stay calm. Yet, in her inebriated state, she merely swayed on the spot, looking at him in what she thought was defiance, but in reality, came across like a petulant child.

"Fine," he sighed once again.

She smiled, turning around to continue her walk, once again tripping on her cape. She managed to steady herself without his help that time and began walking down the street. It took her a while to realise that there was the sound of footsteps coming from beside her, but once she did notice, she looked to find Billy walking with her.

"You're following me," she observed.

"Good job, genius," he drawled out mockingly.

"Where are we going?" She asked.

He let out a scoff, shaking his head. "Where do you want to go?"

"Hmm," she considered it for a moment, before perking up. "Are you hungry?"

"I could eat," he shrugged, clearly not bothered either way.

"Let's go to Zucky's!" She beamed.

"The food is shit there," he groaned.

"Come on, it's the only place open now."

"Okay," he reluctantly agreed, like a parent giving in to a child.

She grinned, grabbing his hand and attempting to skip off down the street. She didn't notice the way he tensed up at the contact, as her movements caused her to trip once again.

"Jesus Christ," he sighed, stopping her and spinning her around to face him. "You're gonna break your neck in this fucking thing."

Her head was spinning from the sudden movement, so she stared at him in a daze. He untied the bow from around her neck, before removing the cape from around her shoulders, causing her to frown.

"Now I'm cold," she pouted, looking up at him with doe-like eyes.

He rolled his own eyes, before taking off his leather jacket and handing it to her. She stared at him for a moment before smiling and pulling on the jacket. It was enormous on her but kept her nice and warm.

"Okay, let's go," she proclaimed, once again leading the way.

It didn't take too long before they got there, and she plopped herself down in one of the booths, Billy following a moment later. She looked around the familiar deli, the tangerine vinyl-upholstered seats sticking out in contrast to the white tiled floor. When she turned to look at Billy, she noticed that he was rubbing his arms as though he was cold but trying very hard not to show it. Chuckling at his stubbornness, she moved out of her side of the booth and slid in beside him. He stared at her, silently wondering what she was doing, and she reached out to grab her cape, wrapping it around his shoulders before flashing him a wide grin. His expression was blank as he looked back at her and the two stared at each other for a moment, as the smile fell from her lips and they formed an 'o' shape instead.

"You're adorable, sweetheart," he teased her softly, leaving her stunned until a second later he reached out to pinch her cheek.

"Ow," she whined, pouting again.

He let go of her cheek with another soft laugh and she rubbed the sore skin with a frown at him.

"What did you say?" She asked, not sure she'd heard him right.

"Nothing," he brushed it off, leaning back against the seat and wrapping the cape tighter around him.

"It's your own fault you're cold," she told him stubbornly as she observed him. "Don't you own any shirts?"

"No other girls ever complained," he replied, amusement in his tone.

She huffed, staring at him for a moment before she turned away from him, looking around the deli again. A comfortable silence fell over the two of them for a while and she was content to sit there next to him, her head no longer swimming as she listened to _Hello, It's Me_ play on the radio, bringing back a memory from what now felt like a lifetime ago.

"Hey, Billy?" She eventually broke the silence, feeling a little more sober.

"Yeah?"

"This song was playing that night too," she told him. "Do you remember?"

"What night?"

"The first time you came in here," she laughed softly. "When we had that argument."

"You mean, when you kept harassing me."

"Whatever," she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yeah, I remember," he said eventually, surprising her.

Silence fell over them again until someone finally decided to show up at their table and serve them. Looking up, she saw that it was Eiza, giving her a knowing smile. She wasn't surprised to see her favourite colleague, since the girl practically lived at Zucky's she was there so much.

"What can I get for you?" She asked in her usually perky manner, but Nari still noticed that she looked a little pale.

Billy quickly ordered something and Nari eventually followed suit. Before leaving, Eiza gave her a look, as though to say _we'll talk about this later._ Silence fell between them once again until Nari decided to ask him another question.

"Billy?"

"Yeah?"

"Why'd you follow me out of the party?" She was brimming with curiosity.

"I didn't. I was already leaving when I saw you."

"Yeah right," she scoffed. "You left that girl behind?"

"Yeah, she drank too much and once she started hurling, I bailed pretty quick."

"Eww," she screwed up her nose in distaste.

She heard him laugh and it fell silent between them again for a moment, as she got lost in her thoughts again.

"Okay, why'd you follow me down here then?"

"Let it go, Miller," he groaned.

She straightened up energetically, looking over at him with a grin.

"Just admit it," she poked him in the side. "Underneath that tough exterior, you've got a tiny _fragment_ of a heart."

He laughed again, shaking his head in amusement. Their food didn't take long and neither of them minded eating in relative silence. Nari felt herself sobering up as she filled up on the food and with that, she grew tired. Once they finished eating, she was quick to head to the counter where Eiza stood.

"I guess you two are getting along better," Eiza observed, giving her a knowing smile.

"Yeah, I took your advice."

It had been a while since she had seen her colleague, and she noticed again how pale she looked. It made sense though, as she worked far too much. Still, Nari was concerned about her.

"Are you feeling okay?" She asked.

'I'm fine, just tired," Eiza assured her, before gesturing to Billy. "I'm glad you gave him a chance."

Nari considered her words for a moment, before giving her a smile back.

"Me too."

She had definitely seen more than one new side to Billy since spending detention together and most of the time she enjoyed being around him. Especially that night, she had seen a new side to him. He'd almost seemed concerned for her wellbeing, not leaving her to walk the streets alone, drunk and stupid. She knew that there was a lot about Billy she still didn't know.

"Don't worry about the bill, of course," Eiza spoke again, breaking through her thoughts.

"Thanks," Nari gave her a weary smile.

"Go home, you look exhausted."

Nari nodded, turning to head back to Billy. She took off his jacket, handing it to him before gently lifting her cape from his shoulders, only realising at that moment that she should've just done that in the first place. He gave her a look when she fastened her cape back around her shoulders, to which she simply shrugged.

"I feel a lot better now," she assured him.

That seemed to be a good enough answer for him and the two headed out of the deli.

"You don't have to walk me home," she told him once they were out in the street.

"It's fine," was all he said.

Sighing, she gave in and led the way. Nari was too tired to strike up a conversation with him, but she was almost hyperaware of his presence next to her as they walked. Even though he smoked, he didn't reek of cigarettes like Slater did. Instead, he smelt of a subtle, musky cologne that she had to admit she liked. His body also radiated heat, which was something she found comforting. Every now and then, their arms would brush against each other, yet neither of them acknowledged it. Internally, though, Nari felt a spark at the contact, her emotions running rampant within her. She simply brushed it off, blaming it on the alcohol, breathing out a sigh of relief when they finally reached her house. She came to a stop, turning to face him, his big, round blue eyes looking back down at her. He always looked so calm and composed – unless he was pissed off. He never seemed nervous or embarrassed or uncertain. She envied him in a way, knowing that she could never hide her own emotions. His gaze seemed to burn through her in that moment and she wasn't sure what spurred her on, but before she knew it, she was reaching up on the tips of her toes and leaning towards him. Her lips made contact with his skin, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"Thank you, Billy," she told him softly, her hand on his chest, steadying her.

When she pulled back, her feet falling flat on the ground, she noticed his tense jaw and how his gaze had hardened. She immediately regretted the action and before he could say anything or notice how humiliated she had suddenly become, she turned on her heel and headed inside, leaving him standing on the sidewalk as she moved quietly through her house.

* * *

Nari groaned as a loud ringing suddenly sounded through the air, waking her up. Squinting at the sunlight filtering in through the window, she looked over to her bedside table, realising that the noise was coming from the phone. She leant over to pick it up, twirling the cord around her finger out of habit.

"Hello?"

"Nari?" Rachel's voice filtered through. "Oh good, Billy got you home okay then."

"What?" She asked, still disoriented.

"He came up to me at the party and said to let Van know you'd left and that he was going to make sure you got home okay."

"Billy did?" She mumbled sleepily.

The memories slowly started coming back and she groaned in embarrassment, remembering how she had acted.

"Yeah, Van was really worried about you after what that pig Slater did. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she groaned out.

"Sounds like a pretty bad hangover," Rachel laughed softly.

"Yeah," Nari sighed out. "I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Okay, get some rest," Rachel agreed before hanging up.

Nari pulled a pillow over her head, wanting to die from the humiliation. The night was already a disaster and then she had to go and _kiss_ him. Sure, it was only on the cheek, but that was bad enough. What had she been thinking? She tried to push it out of her mind, only for another memory to come to mind. She suddenly threw the pillow covering her face across to the other side of the room.

"He told me some bullshit story about that girl throwing up," she voiced aloud, remembering his answer when she asked him why he followed her out of the party.

From what Rachel told her, that wasn't the case at all. He had left the girl behind just to make sure she got home safe and that only perplexed her even more. No matter what, the more she got to know Billy, the more confused she became and maybe – just maybe – he had more than just a _fragment_ of a heart.


	7. 7 - Back Off Bitch

**A/N:** I am once again very sorry for not updating for about 5 months. The last time I posted I mentioned being sick and it got continuously worse, causing my health to deteriorate and cause me several issues. I won't go into it, but I'm finally feeling better and was able to finish chapter seven, which I had started working on at the time I got sick.

I'm not all that proud of this chapter but I hope it's okay. I couldn't get to a point where I was completely satisfied with it, but I want to move on with the story and not dwell on it too much.

I can't promise weekly updates, but will still aim for them. Despite having to defer last semester due to being sick, I've been accepted to do exchange in Boston in our semester two (their sem one of the 20/21 school year). So my health and studies are my priority right now, but I'm still dedicated to this story.

Finally, I will be putting what date each chapter was posted as an author's note from now on, so that if someone is coming back after a while they can have a rough idea of where they were up to in the story and also to give an indication of how frequently I've been updating.

Thanks for all the support you guys have been giving me so far with this story, I realise appreciate it!

\- Posted Jan 13, 2019.

* * *

 ** _Back off, back off bitch_**

 ** _Down in the gutter, dyin' in the ditch_**

 ** _You'd better back off, back off bitch_**

 ** _It's time to burn, burn the witch_**

 **\- Back Off Bitch by Guns N' Roses (1991)**

* * *

Nari was minding her own business on Monday morning, as she stood at her locker, not at all paying attention to Billy flirting with a completely different girl to the one he'd been with at Vance's party on Saturday night. She rolled her eyes, not surprised by the way he seemed to have his attention on a new girl _every single day_ , but rather at the way it was suddenly making her feel. She pretended to go through her locker, but in reality, she was hyperaware of the conversation going on across the hall. She was used to him flirting with practically every reasonably attractive girl that crossed his path, so that wasn't necessarily what bothered her. It was the fact that he didn't seem to care about the way Mel Sanders placed her hand on his chest, nor did he seem annoyed the countless times girls threw themselves at him and stuck their tongues down his throat. It bothered her how _much_ she was bothered by his reaction when she had kissed his cheek. Her action had been innocent enough – although one she now greatly regretted – and she didn't understand his reaction to it. Nari didn't want to him to consider her like all the girls he forgot about after he got in their pants, but rather had started to think of the two of them as being friends. Yet, she couldn't help but wonder why he reacted the way he did and feel slightly hurt by it.

"Hey, Nari!"

Breaking from her thoughts, she turned to see Vance and gave him a weak smile. She finally grabbed her Maths books from her locker and slammed it shut. As she turned to properly face Vance, her gaze met with Billy's and she froze for a moment. His expression was unreadable, yet his eyes burned with an intensity that had her own transfixed on him. It wasn't until his attention was recaptured by Mel Sanders that Nari was able to look away.

"I wanted to ask you something," Vance continued, not seeming to notice the small exchange between herself and Billy.

She felt scatterbrained, unable to focus on anything, and so when the bell for first period rang through the hall, she leapt at the opportunity.

"Sorry, Van," she breathed out. "I have to get to class. We'll talk later, okay?"

She didn't give him a chance to answer before she quickly made her way down the hall, as far away from Billy as possible. She didn't like the way he could disarm her with just a _look_ or the way she was stressing over the way he reacted to something that she had done on a whim, which _hadn't even meant anything._ She didn't like the way she was overthinking their relationship, when a couple of months ago she couldn't stand to be near him. It didn't matter if they were friends or not, because they barely knew each other, yet for some reason her mind wouldn't accept those facts and she continued to wonder about where they stood with each other.

* * *

"Talk to me girl, before your head explodes from all the thoughts running through it."

Nari looked up from the table she was wiping down and over at Eiza. It was Halloween, making the afternoon even quieter than usual, as Mondays were generally one of their slower days. Her mind was replaying what she had seen that morning at her locker, still trying to understand the look she and Billy had exchanged. Vance had found her before school finished, asking her to come and see the band practice the next day and she could only hope Billy wouldn't be there.

"It's nothing," she brushed off to her colleague.

"Don't give me that," Eiza grinned, moving closer. "It's about that cute boy, isn't it?"

Nari stared at her for a moment; she never ceased to amaze her with just _how_ perceptive she could be. Sighing, she knew there was no point in denying it, so she simply nodded.

"First of all, his name is Billy–"

"Okay, okay, _Billy_. Now, tell me what's on your mind."

Nari hesitated for a moment, but ultimately Eiza was the best person that she knew to go to for advice. She began recounting the events of the night, going into detail about what had transpired between herself and Billy, up until the point where they had stood outside her house.

"And I just… I don't know why it's bothering me so much, but I can't get the image out of my head. The way he tensed up, and then Rach told me the next morning that he followed me out of the party to make sure I got home okay, which just confuses me even more and… I don't know, I'm just being stupid and overthinking it."

Eiza was silent for a while, taking in everything she'd said.

"What exactly is making you so upset about it?" She eventually asked.

"I don't know…" Nari sighed. "I guess it's just that girls throw themselves at him all the time, but he never seems bothered – and let me tell you, it's a lot more than anything _I've_ ever done. So why would he get so weird over me doing something so small? I thought we were friends… or starting to be, at least."

Again, Eiza became quiet, mulling over Nari's words. She seemed almost lost in her own world in that moment, staring off at nothing, before she spoke again.

"I think you're reading too much into it."

"That's really helpful, thanks," was Nari's sarcastic reply.

"Look, from what you tell me, his only real interactions with girls are when he's trying to get in their pants or the ones in his family. He's probably not used to being _friends_ with a girl and didn't know how to react or what to make of it. I mean, did he act weird towards you at school today?"

"I um…" Nari looked away sheepishly, not wanting to mention that morning until she had made some sense of it herself. "I kind of avoided him…"

"You can't just avoid people when things don't go your way or how you expect," Eiza told her sternly. "That's how people end up like Henry and Frank."

Nari nodded, still not looking at Eiza, who had been referring to the brothers who owned Zucky's. The two never spoke to each other and both girls had at some point passed letters between the two, only proving how deep their unresolved differences went.

"And you know I'm not just talking about this Billy guy," Eiza added on.

"I know," she said softly.

She lifted her head as soon as she heard the door opening, taking the opportunity to do exactly what Eiza had just warned her against – avoid her problems. She quickly greeted their new customers, and things started to pick up in the deli, keeping the two girls busy for a while. As Nari headed towards the kitchen with an order, she heard the sound of plates crashing and turned to find the source of the noise. Eiza stood across the deli, looking like she was in a state of shock. Nari forgot all about the order she had taken and rushed over to her colleague.

"Eiza?" She said softly, to no avail. "Hey, are you okay?"

The older girl had tears welling in her eyes and Nari reached out to gently touch her arm. That seemed to snap her out of it, and she turned to face Nari. One of the busboys came out, immediately spotting the shattered dishes at their feet and rushing over to clean it up. Eiza seemed like she was in a daze as she looked down at the mess, so Nari gently took hold of her hand, leading her out the back and sitting her down in a chair.

"Talk to me," Nari gently said. "What's going on?"

"I'm sorry," her friend replied weakly. "I… I just…"

"Hey, it's okay," Nari soothed. "I'll get you some water. Is your bottle in your bag?"

Eiza simply nodded, so Nari got up to go over to the lockers and get the water. She rifled through Eiza's bag, finding an odd assortment off things – keys, a wallet, a deck of tarot cards, a pencil case and a folded-up jacket – before finding the bottle of water. She brought it back over to her friend, kneeling down in front of her as she took a gulp of the water.

"I thought I saw…" Eiza eventually spoke, clearly struggling with her words. "I thought I saw my old… foster father. It just freaked me out and I completely froze up. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry," Nari assured her. "It wasn't him?"

"No. Thank god…"

Nari didn't know much about Eiza's past, but it had become clear during their time working together that her time in foster care had left her with some scars – not the physical kind, which in some ways was a lot worse. She didn't want to press her friend about it, but she knew that if just thinking she'd seen the man was enough to freak her out that much, Nari hoped Eiza would never actually have to face the man again.

"Are you feeling any better?" She eventually asked, noticing that some colour had returned to her colleague's cheeks.

"Yeah," she nodded.

"Okay, well just sit here for a while, until you feel better."

She nodded again and Nari got up to run her order out to the kitchen. A little while later she saw Eiza re-emerge and get back to work, still looking a little shaken up, but also much better. Nevertheless, Nari couldn't help but to worry about her friend, yet also didn't want to pry too much into something that wasn't her business.

* * *

"C'mon, Miller. He's Mr. Pipeline… he's a legend."

"You can't ignore Sharron Weber," Nari argued. "She's insanely talented, but no one gives a damn, just because she's a woman."

She and Dean were discussing their childhood surfing idols and while Dean's idol, Gerry Lopez had been far more well-known as they were growing up, she believed that Weber could have been equally as popular if the media didn't think surfing was strictly a man's sport.

"I'm sure they're both amazing," Rachel cut in. "Now, hurry up or we'll miss it."

She took Dean's hand, pulling him along faster and causing Nari to smile as she followed the two. Vance had practically begged them all to come and see the band practice, wanting their opinion. They were hoping to get some gigs and wanted some feedback on the material they'd come up with. When they walked into Vance's garage, where they found him at the drumkit, with Jay and Jodi in front of him on either side. Nari recognised the song from the beat, as she had heard Jay strumming it many times. They were playing Jimi Hendrix's _Machine Gun._ Jay had his head bowed down low, his hair covering most of his face as he became absorbed in the music, his fingers rapidly plucking at the strings of his bass guitar. Vance's hair was bouncing from the force with which he played the drums, his arms moving energetically and the grin never leaving his face. Not for the first time, Nari mused on how his long, unruly blonde hair reminded her of a lion's mane. Jodi stood behind a microphone stand that she currently was not using, as her attention was entirely focused on her electric guitar. Her fingers seemed to move with flawless precision, and the sound it produced left Nari, Dean and Rachel speechless. Her body seemed to move in time with Vance and Jay's rhythm, but her own playing outshone them both by _a lot_. Slowly moving to sit down on the couch, the three of them never took their eyes off the band in front of them.

"Well, shit…" Dean breathed out, clearly impressed as her playing slowed back and the instrumental part of the song started to end.

Jodi started to sing when two other people entered the garage. Looking up, Nari saw that it was Billy with yet another one of his 'dates' and couldn't help but notice that it wasn't Mel Sanders, but a girl she didn't recognise. The guy seemed to change women more than he changed his underwear. She instantly felt awkward, remembering their last proper encounter and tried to cover up her embarrassment by rolling her eyes and turning her attention back to the band. Vance noticed Billy, grinning at him and giving him a nod. Yet, it wasn't long before Billy's attention was captured by the girl he was with, as she pulled him into a kiss. Nari's awkwardness left her, replaced only with annoyance, as she wondered why he even bothered to show up if he was just going to spend the entire time swapping spit with some big-breasted airhead. When the song ended, she leapt at the opportunity to get away from Billy, immediately going over to Jay. He grinned at her and wrapped her in a one-armed hug.

"What'd you think?" He asked her.

"You guys are amazing," she gushed honestly. "I mean you always were, but Van works better with you than anyone else ever has."

The blonde in question grinned bashfully at her compliment, his eyes shining with happiness. Yet, her words were true, as their previous bandmates had never fit so seamlessly with their playing as he did. They had a unified stage presence now that made a world of difference. She moved over to Vance and he immediately stood up when he saw her approaching.

"I didn't know you were _that_ good," she teased him.

"That's not the only thing I'm good at," he winked, twirling a drumstick around his fingers.

She imagined he'd intended to sound flirtatious, but the way he spoke just made him look like even more of a goofball and she stifled a giggle.

"I'm sure," she smiled, looking down at his drum kit. "Did Rach do this for you?"

On front of the bass drum was an artwork of a snake wrapped around a sickle, with the words _Death Adder._

"Yeah," he replied. "Cool, huh?"

"Yeah, it's amazing."

Vance had been the one to come up with the new name for the band and with Rachel being a talented artist, it would have been easy for her to paint the logo on the drum.

"So, do you think we're good enough to start doing some gigs?" Vance asked her.

"Well, I haven't heard your original stuff yet," she pointed out. "But once you have some songs put together, getting gigs will be the least of your worries. With some of your own songs, it's only a matter of time before you get noticed."

His grin changed, not the usual goofy, kind-natured one, but a softer smile that said more than words ever could.

"You really think so?" He asked her quietly, his hopeful gaze telling her how much her opinion truly mattered to him.

Yet, she was momentarily distracted by the feeling of being watched. She turned around but found that everyone else in the room was absorbed in other things. She brushed it off as her imagination and turned back to Vance, who was now looking at her in confusion. She reached out to squeeze his arm in reassurance, a smile once again gracing her lips.

"Of course, Van. Without a doubt."

Jodi chose that moment to walk over with a cold bottle of water for Vance, as she asked if he was ready to start on their own songs. Nari sent him another smile, before going back to the couch and sitting next to Rachel. As the band started up again, she suddenly felt very much in the middle, as Rachel and Dean whispered to each other on her right, her best friend occasionally giggling at whatever her boyfriend was saying to her. On Nari's left, the girl had climbed into Billy's lap, as she continued kissing him, practically dry humping him as she did. Nari tried to ignore the two couples – especially the one to her left– and focus on the band and how proud she was of Jay. She tried to think of their future and how talented they were, making them destined for great things. She tried so hard to focus on their music, but it was becoming increasingly difficult as Billy's girl started moaning.

"For God's sake!" She finally snapped, whipping her head to look at the two. "If you're not here to give an input, get lost and fuck it out of your system so the rest of us don't have to listen to you guys dry humping like you're in middle school!"

The girl pulled back from Billy, her lips popping as they broke contact with his, making Nari screw up her face in repulsion. Billy turned to lazily look at her and she felt her stomach suddenly twist in nerves, as she once again remembered the last time she had looked into his eyes, seeing the hardened gaze and the way he had tensed up. Thankfully, in the present moment he actually looked devious, which was at least somewhat predictable.

"Don't worry, sweetheart," he drawled out, making her eyes widen at the endearment. "When I'm done with her, you can have your turn."

The girl in his lap's jaw dropped at the audacity he had, while Nari's eyes narrowed in anger. Her mind reeled, as she tried to truly process what he'd said, still in shock. Before she could say anything in return, she saw that the band had stopped, and Vance had walked over to them.

"Don't talk to her like that, man," he said, unusually serious. "She's right anyway. We're trying to practice."

Billy's date leant down to whisper something in his ear and Nari looked away in disgust at the way his eyes darkened in lust. Thankfully, he seemed to take the girl up on whatever she had suggested and the two got up to leave. Yet, before walking out the door, Billy turned to wink at Nari, only causing her to scoff and roll her eyes.

"What about you two?" She heard Vance ask.

Looking back over to Dean and Rachel, she saw the former sit up a little straighter, looking at the drummer with mock seriousness.

"We'll be on our best behaviour," he joked, placing his hand over his heart.

Vance shook his head with a smile, before turning back to Nari and giving her a look that seemed to silently ask if she was all right. She nodded at him with a smile and he went back over to the drumkit. Jodi seemed impatient to get back to their practice and Nari couldn't blame her. Jay looked annoyed, but knowing his usually easy-going nature, it was probably because he was pissed off at Billy too. The three musicians quickly got back into playing their song and it was almost like Billy had never been there, as Nari finally felt as though she was able to relax back into the sofa and enjoy the band's music. It was a while before they called it a day, all of them looking tired. Dean and Rachel complimented the three of them before leaving, while Nari decided to hang back and see if Jay wanted to grab something to eat. However, Vance came up to her before she had a chance and looking over, she saw that Jay and Jodi seemed to be in the midst of a deep conversation anyway.

"Thanks for coming," Vance grinned at her as he walked her out.

"Hey, a promise is a promise."

"I'm sorry about Billy…"

"Why are _you_ sorry? You're not responsible for him being an asshole."

"I know," he shrugged. "He's a good guy when you get to know him. He just… doesn't know how to treat a woman if he's not between her legs."

She stifled a laugh and he suddenly seemed to realise what he had said.

"Oh, god, sorry," he rushed out, scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment. "I just mean, he shouldn't have spoken to you like that, but after a while you'll see he can be a nice guy too. I mean, when he wants to be… it kinda depends on what mood you get him in–"

"Hey, Van, it's fine," she cut him off with a chuckle. "I get it, it's okay. He just always manages to hit a nerve with me. I swear he enjoys messing with me."

"He probably does," Vance agreed, suddenly becoming serious. "Be careful, Nari, don't fall for his crap. He'll only end up hurting you."

She let out a loud laugh at his words, shaking her head in amusement.

"Come on, it's not like that. He'd never try that in a million years and even if he did, I wouldn't be stupid enough to fall for it."

He considered her words for a moment, before he smiled at her again.

"Yeah, you're right, he would've tried something by now," he agreed. "And I know you'd never fall for it; I was just worried."

"Don't be," she reassured him. "Anyway, I should get going. Tell the other two I said bye?"

"Sure," he nodded. "Thanks again for coming."

"Hey, no problem. I meant everything I said about you guys."

That made his smile widen and she dropped her skateboard onto the ground before stepping onto it and heading home.

* * *

Wednesday night was fairly steady at Zucky's – not too busy or too quiet – and Nari's shift was livened up by her friends stopping by. They sat in a booth together, Jodi and Vance playfully bickering about something as Jay looked on in amusement, feigning disinterest. Rachel and Dean were snuggled up together, but still interacting with the others. Nari had to roll her eyes at Billy, once again locking lips with a girl. Yet, what surprised her was that it was the same girl he'd brought to the band's practice the previous day. Nari couldn't think of any other time when she'd seen Billy with the same girl twice. Yet, it was interesting to her, how quickly their friend groups had seemed to merge, not just from Rachel dating Dean, but also Vance joining Jay and Jodi's band. She headed over to their booth, her pad and pencil already in hand.

"You already know what I want," Jodi said, perking up when she spotted her.

"One strawberry milkshake," Nari replied with a laugh, jotting it down. "Anything to eat?"

"No, I'm good," Jodi declined.

"Van?" Nari asked.

He put in his order, followed by Jay and then Dean and Rachel. Nari then turned her attention to Billy, who didn't even seem like he had noticed her presence, as his face was practically glued to his date's.

"And you, Hargrove?" She asked, pleading with whatever God was up above to give her strength.

Silence followed her question and she took a deep breath, reaching into her apron and pulling out a spare pencil. She threw it at him to get his attention, but instead it hit the girl right in the head. _Oh well._

"What the hell?" The girl screeched out, turning to glare at her.

Billy's gaze met hers, his eyes filled with amusement.

"What do you want to order?" Nari asked, her patience running thin.

"Nothing," the girl answered, her tone dismissive.

That was good enough for her and she turned to leave. She went out to the kitchen to place the orders and when she returned to the counter, it was to find Billy leaning against it, seemingly waiting for her. She bit her lip to stifle a laugh at his appearance, which he was clearly blissfully unaware of.

"You never took my order," he pointed out.

"Your girl said you didn't want anything," Nari shrugged.

"One, she's not my girl," he retorted. "And two, you know damn well she doesn't speak for me."

"Fine, what do you want?"

"I can think of a few things," he eyed her up and down with a smirk.

"Stop being a pig, Billy," she deadpanned, not missing a beat.

"Is there anything here that doesn't taste like shit?" He finally asked, yet the smirk didn't leave his lips.

"Very funny," she rolled her eyes. "I'll get something for you if it means you'll get lost. I'm trying to work."

"What're you gonna get me?"

"It's a surprise."

He stared at her for a moment and it was too much for her. She had to let him know what was on his face, so she gestured to his mouth, but he only stared at her blankly, not catching on. Shaking her head, with a smile on her lips, she reached down to grab a paper napkin.

"Miller, what–"

She reached over to him, wiping away the smudged red lipstick around his mouth, finally letting a soft laugh escape her lips at how he had been so blissfully unaware about how ridiculous he'd looked. However, the laugh died when she noticed that he had tensed up, just like he had when she'd stupidly kissed his cheek. She froze, her hand still holding the napkin and resting it against his cheek.

"God, what is taking so long?" A voice whined.

Nari's hand immediately dropped, as she turned her attention to Billy's date, who was becoming increasingly annoying, the more time she spent with her.

"Don't you have something better to do than stand around?" The girl snapped.

Nari scoffed but took the opportunity to leave her position from behind the counter if it meant she didn't have to be around his annoying date. She busied herself with serving, and it wasn't long before her friends' orders were ready, and she took them out to serve them. Billy looked up at her when she placed his order in front of him. She'd given him the Zucky's special; pastrami, coleslaw and thousand island dressing on rye.

"Trust me," she told him, sliding next to him in the booth as she took a quick break.

She watched him eagerly and he raised a brow at her in amusement. She nodded, encouraging him to take a bite. Letting out a soft laugh, he tried it and she watched his eyes widen slightly. She smiled, knowing that customers always raved about their coleslaw and clearly not even Billy was immune.

"Okay, you got me," he smiled once he'd swallowed his bite. "That's pretty damn good."

"I told you! I don't want to hear you complain about our food again."

"Max should try this," he said a bit quieter. "She'd like it."

"You should bring her hear sometime," she lowered her voice to match his. "She's a cool kid. I'm surprised a jerk like you could have such an awesome sister."

"What, you'd rather spend time with her than me?" He teased, pretending to be hurt, leaning closer to her.

"Any day," she laughed softly.

"Come on," he winked, his voice deepening to a suggestive tone. "I can definitely give you a better time than she can."

"Very funny," she scoffed. "I'm not falling for that crap."

He went to respond, clearly ready to meet her challenge, when an annoying voice beat him to it.

"Oh my _god_ , would you back off?"

Nari stared at the girl in silence, wondering what her problem was.

"He's here with _me_ , not you," the girl continued. "I know you're desperate, but you could at least give us some space!"

"Excuse me?" Nari asked in disbelief.

"You heard me, bitch," the girl sneered. " _Fuck off."_

Nari looked at Billy, but he was simply watching the two of them in amusement, clearly enjoying the attention. Her own blood was now boiling with irritation and seeing that Billy had no intention of intervening, Nari decided to let her temper out on the girl.

"You don't get to talk to me like that," Nari said, leaning over the table to get right into the girl's face. "You're just the slut of the week, so shut your mouth."

Before she knew what had hit her, the girl had reached out and grabbed a fistful of her hair, pulling her closer, ready to spit more insults right into her face. She winced, but as quickly as the girl had grabbed her, she felt herself being released once again. Looking up, she saw Billy holding the girl's arm in what was definitely a painful grip, if the tears welling up in her eyes was anything to go off. He looked absolutely livid and Nari was shocked by it.

"Apologise," he said in that low, deceivingly calm tone that never meant anything good.

"W-what?" The girl spluttered out, clearly in shock.

The feeling was mutual; Nari was just as taken aback by the sudden switch of his mood.

"You heard me," he seethed. "You don't get to touch her like that, so _apologise._ "

He drawled out the last word as though he was speaking to a child. This only seemed to anger the girl, as her eyes narrowed at him.

"What the fuck? Like hell I will!"

The entire table was silent, watching the exchange with shock. Yet, Nari was certain that none of them were as thrown off by Billy's behaviour as _she_ herself was.

"Fine," he said, still with that deceptive calmness that barely masked the stormy temper just _begging_ to be unleashed. "Then get out."

He turned to Nari before the girl could answer and with one look, she instantly understood what he wanted. She quickly scrambled out of the booth and he followed right after her, dragging the girl out with him before practically shoving her away. The girl turned to look at him indignantly and he didn't waste a second, stepping threateningly into her space, not unlike how he had intimidated Nari the very first night he'd come into Zucky's.

"You won't like it if I have to repeat myself again," he warned the girl.

With a huff and one last dirty look thrown at Nari, the girl left the deli, leaving only silence in her wake. Nari's eyes were wide as they followed every move he made, but he just sat back down in the booth, picking up his sandwich and biting into it like nothing had even happened. With some trepidation, Nari chanced a glance at the two people at the booth who knew him best, in an attempt to garner their reactions. Dean was looking at Billy with something akin to curiosity but didn't seem all that bothered. Vance, on the other hand, _definitely_ looked bothered, his eyes narrowed in a mixture of confusion and concern. His gaze suddenly snapped to Nari, who was still standing by the table, looking a little shaken. The look in his eyes instantly softened with worry for her and she quickly pulled herself together.

"Well… I'd better get back to work," she timidly announced, quickly turning on her heel and feeling more than one pair of eyes on her as she moved back to the counter.

She went through the motions automatically, her mind not at all focused on her job, but rather on Billy's behaviour. Eiza wasn't there to vent to and receive advice from, yet that was most likely a good thing, as Nari felt she deserved time off after how shaken she'd been a few days prior. Still, a million questions that didn't have answers to swirled around in her head. He was so hot and cold, jumping from one emotion to the next, as though it had happened with the flip of a switch. She had felt for some time that she had no idea where she stood with him, but with every interaction they had, that feeling only seemed to intensify, rather than feel like it was being gradually resolved. Generally, she felt like they were on good terms to a certain degree – maybe not _friends_ per se, yet at least able to be friendly towards each other and get along for the most part. She had learned to take the things he said with a grain of salt and only get annoyed when he took it too far, rather than losing her temper with him. His flirtatious behaviour the past couple of days had thrown her off a little, but she couldn't help but wonder if he was tormenting her about what happened on the night of the Halloween party. It was likely that with his inflated ego he had misinterpreted her actions to mean that she was interested in him.

 _Gross,_ she scoffed to herself mentally. _As if_!

Well, she figured she could live with his misjudgement, if the way he had tensed up twice now at close contact meant he didn't have any feelings for _her._ Although it'd be kind of amusing to see how he would face her rejection if he did have a thing for her. She doubted the high and mighty Billy had ever been turned down by a girl before. She laughed softly at the thought, shaking her head with amusement as she wiped down a table.

"What's so funny?" A familiar voice asked from behind her, causing her to jump slightly before she turned around.

"Damn it, Billy," she breathed out. "Don't sneak up on people like that."

He shrugged, "not my fault your head was in the clouds."

"What do you want?" She asked, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes at him.

"Wow, you sure have a great way of showing appreciation," he smirked.

"Appreciation for what?" She rolled her eyes. "I could've handled that bimbo myself."

He stiffened a little, though it was barely noticeable. Yet, it made Nari realise what a brat she was being, and she sighed, relaxing her arms back down by her sides.

"Fine, thank you," she breathed out softly. "Why _did_ you cut in though? At first you seemed to be enjoying yourself."

"Hey, I'm the only one that's allowed to give you a hard time," he teased, the smirk still on his lips.

"She was giving me a hard time way before you stepped in," Nari pointed out, raising her eyebrow. "But what? Hair pulling is a step too far? Only you're allowed to do that?"

"Definitely," he replied, leaning a little closer, tone teasing but gaze heated.

It was clear that the context he was insinuating was something entirely different to the dynamic between her and the bimbo.

" _Nega kkwang-iya_ ," she laughed with a roll of her eyes.

Nari decided to brush it off, turning away from him to walk over to the booth their friends were still sitting in. Billy followed her and she realized they were all ready to leave. She quickly grabbed their bill before receiving their shares of the payment. The deli only had one other customer when they all began to pile out the door and she noticed that Dean lingered behind the others, apparently wanting to talk to her.

"You coming to Billy's party this weekend?" He asked her.

"I don't know, Dean…" she trailed off uncertainly.

"Come on, Miller, even Jay and Jodi are coming."

"He's been really weird lately," she admitted, trying to seem nonchalant about it. "Not sure I wanna deal with his drama."

Something flashed in Dean's eyes and while she couldn't quite decipher what it meant, Nari figured that he had at least noticed Billy's odd behaviour towards her as well. She wasn't entirely sure what to make of that.

"Just come, he'll be distracted by whatever girl he has for the night anyway," Dean tried persuading her again. "Rach really wants you to come."

 _Yeah and she'll be just as distracted by you as Billy will be by his bimbo of the night._

"Fine," she grumbled to appease him. "But I can't promise how long I'll stay."

He just winked at her, seemingly satisfied for the moment, before he walked out the door to join the others. With a sigh, Nari turned back to her work, eager to get her shift over with and her mind off the enigma that was Billy Hargrove.

* * *

 **A/N:** Nega kkwang-iya (네가 꽝이야) means 'you're the worst' in Korean.

Zucky's real-life owners did in fact act in the way described in this chapter, however I've changed their names for the purposes of the story.

Also, I know we just had a party in the previous chapter, but that was honestly quite a spontaneous and last-minute addition to the story. What was originally supposed to serve as filler took a life of it's own and became a significant moment of progress for Billy and Nari's relationship. Anyway, the next chapter has been planned for a long time and I can't really think of anything else to put before it, so we're getting another party. Sorry guys! I've plotted absolutely everything out now and have a very clear idea of the direction this story will go in and how it will be paced. Thankfully, the next few chapters will push the story forward quite a bit.


	8. 8 - We Don't Get Along

**A/N** **:** I'm not sure if anyone is still reading this story on here? If anyone is and wants me to continue uploading on here then just let me know and I'll continue to upload. If not, this will be the last chapter posted on here and I'll only continue to upload on Ao3 ( /works/15388695/chapters/35713509).

This is just because I don't really want to continue updating on here if no one is reading it.

\- Posted Jan 24, 2020

* * *

 _Somehow you always get me wrong_

 _Somehow you always take things wrong_

 _Somehow you always get me wrong_

 _Well, I guess we just don't get along_

 ** _-_** **We Don't Get Along by The Go-Go's (1982)**

* * *

Iron Maiden's _Flight of Icarus_ could be heard blaring from Billy's house as Nari walked down the street. She wasn't really in the mood for a party – especially one as big as this one looked to be. It looked like almost their entire grade was there as well as a good amount of older students from their school. Yet, despite her reluctance to come, Nari had at least put some effort into her outfit. She wore a tight, short black skirt and a deep red off-the-shoulder crop top, with a black leather jacket thrown over it due to the chill in the air. It was a little hard to squeeze into the house once she got there, because of all the people crammed into it. Eventually she found a familiar face in the crowd and made her way over.

"Hey Jodes," she greeted with a smile, glad to have a little more breathing room now.

"Hey girl," Jodi replied, eyeing her. "Damn, you look good tonight."

"Thanks, so do you," Nari laughed.

"You want a drink?"

"Definitely," she agreed, feeling far too sober.

Jodi turned to a portable cooler that was sitting not too far behind her, digging through before she found a beer can and handed it to Nari.

"So I listened to that demo tape you gave me," Nari told her, immediately taking a swig of the beer.

Jodi had asked her to listen to a guitar riff she had come up with, the tape only containing a recording of her alone without the drums and bass added in yet to accompany it.

"Oh yeah?" Jodi asked. "What'd you think?"

"It sounds awesome! Jodes, your playing is something else and then add that to the dynamic when the three of you are playing together… you guys are going places."

Jodi just smiled and Nari could tell that her words meant a lot to the other girl. She went to say something else but was distracted when someone took her beer out of her hands.

"Hey!" She yelled, annoyed.

She turned to tell off the perpetrator, only to find Billy smirking down at her.

"Billy, what the hell? Give that back!"

She went to swipe the beer back out of his hand, but he only lifted it high above her head and out of her reach. She huffed at him, but his lips only widened into a genuine smile as he laughed at her.

"Sorry sweetheart, but you need to take it easy with the drinks tonight. I'm not playing babysitter again."

She blushed but still narrowed her eyes at him. He had been teasing towards her before but there was something about his demeanour in that moment. She'd never seen him so relaxed and at ease. It was… _weird_.

"I can take care of myself, Hargrove," she scoffed, trying to reach the can again, to no avail.

He just gave her a pointed look, that infuriating smirk back on his lips as he took a swig of _her_ drink. Jodi watched on in amused silence, analysing the two of them who were so focused on each other that they didn't seem to realise they had an audience. Nari pouted and Billy just laughed, handing her the now half-empty beer can.

"Whatever you say, sweetheart."

His gaze moved to somewhere else across the room and following it, Nari saw that he'd caught the eye of some busty brunette.

 _Typical._

Without another word, he was moving through the crowd and towards the girl, who Nari vaguely recognised as a senior at their school. With a laugh, she turned her attention back to Jodi who just raised an eyebrow at her.

" _Sweetheart?_ " She questioned, tone teasing.

Nari shrugged, rolling her eyes, "you know what a flirt he is. As long as he doesn't start hitting on me, I don't care what he calls me."

"Uh huh," Jodi nodded, a knowing smile playing on her lips.

Nari just ignored it, taking another sip of her drink.

* * *

Nari did _not_ take Billy's advice and soon enough she was pretty tipsy, but she was also having a lot more fun. She had eventually spotted Vance and grinned at his fluffy, long blonde hair that could be spotted a mile away. He was his usual, cheerful self, bouncing on the heels of his feet like a big ball of energy. His mood seemed to brighten even more when he caught sight of her as well and he immediately walked over to her, meeting her halfway.

"Hey," he said, so softly she almost didn't hear him over the music.

"Hey Van," she smiled sweetly up at him. "Wanna dance?"

Her words seemed to melt him like butter, his energy going from hyper to affectionate in a split second. She just smiled brighter, thinking he was the most adorable guy she knew.

"Yeah," he nodded with a radiant smile of his own. "I'd love that."

Judas Priest's _You've Got Another Thing Comin'_ started to play, so she took Vance by the hand and pulled him further into the room, so they'd have a bit more space. Wrapping her arms around him, Nari couldn't help but bite her lip to stop herself from smiling at how Vance's eyes widened when she pulled herself flush up against him.

"Relax, Van," she laughed.

He immediately became a little less tense, wrapping his own arms around her and pulling her closer. The song playing wasn't exactly her top choice for something to dance to, but she worked with what she had, moving her hips to the beat of the music. Vance eventually eased up enough to prove himself to be a pretty good dancing partner and Nari let herself just enjoy the moment, her smile never leaving her face. She was completely oblivious to the fact that Vance's heart seemed to be beating a million miles a minute, or the tender way he was looking at her the whole time, but she did get the feeling they were being watched. She shrugged it off, figuring it was probably that creep Slater, who had made a couple of jeering comments to her in the hallways at school the past week since Vance's Halloween party. She doubted he had the balls to do anything while she was with Vance, so she just let herself have fun in the moment.

Vance took her hand in his before spinning her and then pulling her even closer. She placed one hand on his chest, her long blonde hair flipping behind her as she raised her other hand into the air and let her body move against Vance's in time with the music. Her gaze met Billy's and she flashed him a smile, but his expression was unreadable. She shrugged it off, tired of his weird mood swings and determined to enjoy herself. Once the song ended, she felt much more energetic and ran her fingers through her hair.

"I had no idea you were such a good dancer," she praised Vance.

He just smiled bashfully, scratching the back of his neck in clear embarrassment.

"Come on, don't be like that," she teased. "I had fun dancing with you."

"Really?" He asked and she didn't pick up on how hopeful he sounded.

"Of course. I always have fun with you, Van. I'm gonna go get a drink, thanks for the dance!"

She quickly moved away, in search of a cold beverage and, as usual, oblivious to the way Vance stared after her with longing.

* * *

Nari was never really one to know her limits when it came to alcohol, so it wasn't long before she was stumbling a little more as she walked. Feeling too hot in the house, she moved out into the backyard for some fresh air, immediately regretting it the moment she did. She groaned seeing Slater out there smoking but wasn't willing to give up the cool air that was such a relief after being crammed in the stuffy house. He eyed her up and down but didn't say anything, much to her relief. She walked past him and towards one of the outdoor chairs, but it seemed that she'd underestimated him, as she yelped when she felt him wrap an arm around her from behind, pulling her up against his chest. She tensed up in his hold, her mind trying to process what was happening.

"Saw you dancing in there," he murmured in her ear, his words slurred and making her feel sick to the stomach. "How about you give me a private show? I love you Asian girls, you always scream the loudest."

Her anger quickly began to surface, giving her the confidence to push herself out of his grip before she spun around to slap his face hard.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" She snapped. "Can't you get it through your thick head? I'm _not interested_!"

She went to walk away, but with how drunk she was she ended up stumbling a little, which Slater took to his advantage, grabbing her wrist in a tight grip.

"You're gonna regret that," he warned, angry now. "And Henley isn't around to save you this time."

If Slater was angry, well, it was nothing compared to what Nari felt. She was beyond angry at this point and so, she turned to face him once again, quickly delivering an extended knuckle punch to his temple. He let go of her immediately, stumbling back with a grunt. She took her chance, lifting her leg to deliver a front push kick, her foot coming into contact with his stomach and pushing him to the ground due to his inebriated state. Her Tae Kwon Do classes had paid off. Nari moved closer to him, fuming, as he clutched his head and stomach in pain, and she was about to spit a string of profanities at him when she was pulled away. It was Billy and unfortunately, he was a lot stronger than Slater and had no trouble pulling her back into the house. She saw that her altercation with Slater had drawn a crowd, which must have been how Billy found her. Once inside, Billy rounded on her, clearly not amused.

"Can't help yourself, can you? You've always got to get into trouble. I told you not to drink too much - "

"Shut up Billy, I would've kicked his ass if you didn't stop me!" She cut him off. "Besides, I thought you weren't gonna bother looking out for me tonight. You didn't need to anyway, I had it handled. I don't know why you'd even invite that slime ball."

"I didn't invite most of the people here," he pointed out, calmer now. "I don't remember inviting _you_ either."

Nari opened her mouth to say something, before abruptly shutting it again and instead pouting at him in annoyance. He laughed, looking away with a shake of his head.

"You were pretty badass though," he admitted.

"Told you I can look after myself," she told him smugly.

"Yeah, well, watch out for Slater. He's not gonna let that go lightly."

She went to give him another smartass retort but was interrupted by Rachel joining them. Billy took the opportunity to leave now that her best friend was there to keep her from doing anything else stupid.

"I haven't seen you all night!" Rachel complained, giving Nari a hug. "C'mon, let's dance."

Nari let Rachel lead her by the hand and the two danced together for a while, the crowd eventually shrinking as the night drew closer to dawn. When Dean stole Rachel away, Nari took that as her opportunity to call it a night. She wasn't going to wait around for Rachel and decided to find somewhere quiet to crash. Opening the first door she came across she found a bedroom. Giving the room a once over, she determined it must have been Max's and there was no way she was going to stay in Billy's room, so Max's looked to be the best bet. Nari vaguely wondered where Max and Billy's parents were as she slumped down on the girl's bed but didn't give it too much thought as sleep quickly consumed her. She hoped Max wouldn't mind her sleeping in her room.

* * *

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?"

Nari woke up with a start, almost falling off Max's bed and groaning at her hangover. It took her a moment, but eventually she registered the booming voice outside the room. Trying to stay quiet, Nari crept over to the door as her curiosity got the better of her. She opened it quietly, just a crack, and peeked out. Down the hallway and in the living room, Billy looked like he had also just woken up as a man towered over him, with a woman standing uncertainly a little further back. There didn't seem to be anyone else from the party still around and Nari briefly wondered how late she had slept.

"I asked you a question," the man seethed, voice quieter now but no less threatening.

If Nari had thought Billy could be scary when he was angry, well, it was nothing compared to this man.

"You thought you could trash the house while we were out of town?" The man continued. "You're lucky Maxine is with her father this weekend."

In a move so quick, Nari barely had time to register it, the man, who was presumably Billy's father, picked him up by the neck of his shirt, forcing him to stand so he could get right up into Billy's face. Nari couldn't believe the woman just stood there yet, she wasn't exactly doing anything better herself.

"Well?" The man snapped, raising his voice a little. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I thought you didn't get home until tomorrow," Billy shrugged nonchalantly, clearly not caring about irking his father any further.

Nari gasped and the woman flinched when his father hit him hard, Billy's head snapping to the side from the force of it. She felt sick to her stomach, her mind rapidly putting the pieces together. All those bruises she'd seen him sporting and now she knew the cause of it, the sickening reality.

"Neil…" the woman protested quietly when Billy's father went to tell him off some more.

"This house better be spotless by the time we get back, or you won't like what I do to you, boy."

With that said, Neil and the woman who must have been Max's mother left the house. Nari waited a moment, still processing what she had seen. Eventually she stepped out of Max's room and walked slowly down the hallway towards Billy. His head snapped to look at her when she was about halfway there, and his eyes darkened in a way that had her more nervous than she'd ever been around him.

"Billy…" she breathed out. "Are you okay?"

It was a stupid question, because he was definitely _not_ okay, but she had just spoken the words without really thinking them through. She was worried about him, about what she had witnessed and suddenly everything made a little more sense.

"What are you doing here?" He asked lowly, barely containing his anger.

"I… I fell asleep here last night," she stumbled over her words. "I didn't mean to be… look, Billy, if you want to talk about it - "

"Get out," he said through gritted teeth. "Now."

"At least let me help you clean up," she offered meekly, understanding if he didn't want to talk about it, but also not wanting to just leave him like that.

" ** _Now_** , Miller," he snapped.

She flinched, but it was enough to make her back off. She hesitated only for a moment before quickly walking to the front door, not wanting to piss him off anymore.

"I just want you to know," she said quietly at the doorway, not turning to face him. "I'm not going to tell anyone. I'm just worried about you…"

With that she left, feeling incredibly guilty and helpless as she did so.

* * *

 **A/N:** I hope Neil was in character, but that's basically like saying 'I hope he was enough of an asshole' isn't it?

Anyway, FYI, I fucking hate dancing. I'm a terrible dancer haha so it's kinda awkward for me to write anything to do with dancing. But Nari has just kind of developed into a character that loves dancing, somehow. So I hope that part of this chapter wasn't too badly written. I watched (much to my chagrin) the watermelon scene from Dirty Dancing for some reference and towards the end of this scene in Wayne's World 2 ( watch?v=Ejz_3z6tMGQ) is basically what I was trying to describe. So feel free to watch that if you want a clearer image. It's less than a minute long. I idolised Tia Carrere as a kid and her role as Cassandra in Wayne's World has also been a bit of an inspiration for Nari's character.


	9. 9 - No Hallelujah's Now

**A/N:** This chapter is more filler than anything else, but it does set some things up for future chapters. We get a little more insight into Nari's past and home life. Things are still tense between Billy and Nari in this chapter, but will pick up in the next two chapters, which serve as a turning point in their relationship. So I'm sorry that this chapter isn't the most exciting in terms of their interactions, but chapter 10 will be posted soon.

\- Posted January 27, 2020.

* * *

 ** _Coarse palms and grazed knees_**

 ** _Burnt back, he's withdrawn so easily_**

 ** _Scorched pride, disenchanted pine_**

 ** _Of his father's seed_**

 ** _-_** **No Hallelujahs Now by L.A. Salami (2016)**

* * *

The awkward feeling in the pit of her stomach hadn't left Nari since that morning at Billy's house. He had completely withdrawn himself from her, not giving her any acknowledgement, let alone speaking to her when they were within close proximity. She was at a loss, knowing it wasn't her business to bring it up to him, but also somehow finding herself missing him. She missed his teasing and the irritating way his mood could switch so quickly. She would even take him getting angry with her if it meant he would just _talk_ to her again. Nari didn't know what to do. All she knew was that somehow, she had started seeing Billy as her friend and she didn't like the way things currently were between them.

"Hey, what's on your mind?"

Nari stopped mindlessly setting food on plates to look up at Eiza who stood with her in her kitchen at home.

"Nothing," Nari brushed it off with a small smile. "Sorry, just daydreaming I guess."

"Hmm okay," Eiza seemed willing to let it go. "Thanks again for having me over."

"It's no problem, we love having you over. You know that."

Nari's parents usually invited Eiza over for holidays, as she didn't have any family of her own to spend it with. Eiza had once told her that Thanksgiving was her favourite, as Nari's mixed heritage meant they always served some traditional Chuseok dishes as well. Her family paid their respects to their ancestors on the correct date for Chuseok, but tended to save the big meal for later, serving Korean dishes along with the traditional Turkey. Eiza helped Nari prepare the dinner, while Nari's mother, Iseul, set the table. When the food was all finally on the table, Nari's father, Jack, sat at the head with Iseul to his right and Nari to his left. Eiza sat beside Nari, leaving the seat next to Iseul empty.

Nari's mother was a beautiful woman who looked very good for her age. Her dark brown hair sat just at her shoulders and she had a very slender frame. She had deep-set brown eyes and thin lips that naturally turned down. While Nari was fiery and free-spirited, her mother was a stark contrast with her constantly dainty and composed demeanour. Nari had always been closer to her father, a tall man with shaggy dark brown hair that fell to just above his shoulders and dark stubble adorning his face. His piercing, almond shaped brown eyes always seemed to cut through the person they were focused on, as though he could see right through them. Nevertheless, he had a very easy-going demeanour and was only stern when he had to be.

"This is amazing, honey," he praised his wife as he took a bite of the Turkey.

"I'm glad, _yeobo_ ," Iseul replied with a smile.

Nari sighed, focusing her attention on her dinner rather than on her parents. It was so rare for her to be home for dinner that it felt a little weird to her. Aside from that, the tension in the room was hard to ignore and the atmosphere this Thanksgiving was notably different compared with the previous year, due to the elephant – or rather the ghost – in the room. She put some _songpyeon_ , which were small rice-cakes, onto her plate, before reaching for some of the other small Korean dishes on the table. Nari was content to simply eat her meal in silence, letting Eiza chat easily with her parents.

"Nari," she looked up to see her father's gaze on her. "When are you going back to Tae Kwon Do? It'll do you some good."

Nari bit back a sigh, knowing her dad was trying. He was the one who enrolled her at 7-years-old, when the Martial Arts Centre had only been open for a few years on Santa Monica Boulevard. It had been in an attempt to get her to focus her energy on something and give her a bit more discipline, considering what an unruly child she was. She had continued her lessons until the previous year, when she suddenly stopped attending and Nari knew her father was taking this rare opportunity, where she was actually at home for a family meal and also in the company of Eiza, to try and get her to open up to him again.

Iseul shifted uncomfortably in her seat, looking over to her daughter with trepidation, but Nari couldn't look her mother in the eye. If she did, then the guilt would catch up with her and she couldn't bare that. Thankfully, Eiza knew all too well the reason behind the tension in their family and continued eating her meal rather than drawing more attention to the issues that existed between Nari and her parents.

"Umm, well," Nari finally said, breaking the silence. "I don't know, dad, I don't have time for it anymore."

He went to argue but was cut off by his wife.

"She's focused on getting into college, _yeobo_ ," Iseul stated. "That's more important, isn't it, Nari-ya?"

" _Ne_ , _eomma_ ," Nari grumbled out in response, looking down at her plate as she picked at her food.

Jack frowned, looking at his daughter in concern, but didn't say anything further on the topic. It wasn't long before they'd finished their meal and Nari was dragging Eiza into her bedroom, wanting nothing more than to get away from her parents – mostly her mother. Iseul sighed, but didn't stop them and Jack felt helpless, wondering, not for the first time, if he should step in and get them to sort out their differences. He knew his wife was in denial about how her own behaviour had been affecting their daughter, but he also didn't want to push Nari and preferred to let her deal with things in her own time. It had almost been a year, however, and he was starting to wonder if things would ever be resolved and feel normal again in their family without him having to step in.

"Nari…" Eiza said softly once they were alone in her bedroom. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

"It's the first Thanksgiving you've had without - "

"I said _no_ , Eiza," she cut her off.

"Okay," Eiza finally agreed.

She had tried so many times to get Nari to talk about it, but always ended up hitting a wall. She hoped the girl at least talked to Jay about it, since he was practically like a brother to Nari and Eiza knew it wasn't healthy for her to bottle it all up inside.

"What do you want to do then?" Eiza asked, changing the topic.

Nari walked over to her record player, turning it on to softly play Queen's album _The Game_ as her mind returned to what happened at Zucky's on Halloween, almost a month ago, and what she had seen in Eiza's bag.

"Can you give me a reading?" She asked, turning to face her friend and colleague as she brimmed with curiosity.

"What?" Eiza replied, clearly confused.

"I saw the Tarot cards in your bag," Nari explained. "Come on, it'll be fun."

"Okay," Eiza agreed, somewhat reluctantly.

She sat down on Nari's bed, reaching into her bag to grab the cards as Nari sat cross-legged across from her.

"What do you want to know?" Eiza asked, watching as Nari suddenly became uncharacteristically shy. "You can tell me; I'm not going to judge."

"I want to know…" Nari bit her lip, considering for a moment. "If Billy's ever going to talk to me again."

"Oh, Nari," Eiza looked at her with sympathy. "I didn't realise it was bothering you so much."

Nari had spoken to Eiza about how things had gone bad between her and Billy again but did not divulge the reason why. Thankfully, Eiza hadn't pried and seemed to accept the question Nari now wanted an answer to.

"Okay, shuffle these," Eiza handed her the cards. "Stop when you're ready."

Nari began to shuffle and looked a little embarrassed when one card seemed to fall out of the deck. She reached out to put it back with the others, but Eiza stopped her.

"It jumped out for a reason," Eiza told her cryptically, placing the card face down in front of them.

Nari continued to shuffle until she was ready to stop and then Eiza instructed her to choose two other cards from the deck. Once that was down, Eiza laid the other two cards in front of Nari, before turning them over.

"Okay," Eiza began. "The first card is the Knight of Wands. This card represents someone with a fiery and feisty temperament. Someone who is easily angered and tends to expel that anger without really thinking it through. Act now, ask questions later – that kind of person."

"Yeah, that sounds like Billy." Nari interrupted with a laugh.

"Well, it actually reminds me of you," Eiza pointed out. "But this card could be interpreted to represent both of you."

Nari narrowed her eyes at Eiza in annoyance but offered no argument.

"However," Eiza continued. "There are times when this energy can be a positive, such as when defending something or someone that needs protecting. The card is essentially advising to save this kind of energy for when it is called for, rather than letting it dominate."

Nari nodded, following along. Eiza then pointed to the middle card.

"Five of swords, reversed," she said. "This is interesting, because it ties into the previous card. When reversed, this card represents finally gaining control over negative traits, such as competitiveness and being quick to judge or criticise."

Nari listened attentively, taking in what the older girl was telling her.

"Finally, the Chariot," Eiza pointed to the last card. "This card shows victory over obstacles. So, putting it together with the other two cards, I'd say that the overall message is your personalities are what keeps getting in the way."

 _No shit,_ Nari thought to herself.

"In some ways," Eiza continued. "The way you can both lose your temper so quickly makes you similar, but that fiery energy you both share – particularly when interacting with each other – would be better used in ways other than anger."

Nari frowned, not entirely sure what she meant by that, but continued to listen with interest.

"There is a sense of vulnerability on his part, which he doesn't like and tries hard to hide. You'll need to find a way around that before you two can make any further progress in the relationship."

Nari was reminded of what she had witnessed between Billy and his father. That was definitely a moment of vulnerability for him. Her friend was scarily perceptive, as usual.

"If you continue to stay above your temper – despite whether he does the same or not – then you will have a chance to get past the walls he has built. If you overcome this obstacle, then you will experience a turning point in your friendship. It won't be the last obstacle you face with him, but persistence, patience and remaining positive will allow you to overcome whatever is thrown your way."

With that, it seemed like Eiza had finished the reading and she looked up expectantly at Nari.

"You got all of that from a few cards?" Nari asked, still taking in everything Eiza had said.

The older girl laughed, looking away. "If you don't believe in it, why'd you ask me to give you the reading?"

"It's not that I don't believe it," Nari assured her. "I just don't really understand it."

"It's fine," Eiza smiled at her. "But you should take the advice anyway."

"Sure. Come on, let's go get some dessert."

Nari pulled her friend back out of her room and into the kitchen. Eiza observed that she was at least in a considerably better mood now.

* * *

Nari found her eyes trained on Billy rather than Vance (who was the one that asked her to come) as she sat in the bleachers watching the Vikings play their first game of the basketball season. He seemed to move so effortlessly across the court, entirely focused on the game. She sat with Rachel and Dean, the latter lounging back lazily, yet his attention was completely taken up by the game. Rachel wasn't that interested and Nari was glad when her best friend took her attention, as it meant she could focus her mind on something other than overanalysing where she currently stood with Billy. Rachel talked her ear off about how she had _just_ missed out on getting tickets to see Duran Duran play in L.A. in February, to how she really wanted to have a girl's night soon and then went on to complain about her current art assignment. Nari listened to it all, but her eyes never left the court and at half time she got up for a bathroom break, looking at Billy from the corner of her eye as she passed him. Once she had left the basketball court and was in the school hallway, Nari was surprised to see Max heading toward her.

"Hey, grommet!" She called out, glad to see the younger girl again.

"Nari!" Max beamed, seemingly just as happy to run into her. "What're you doing here? You're not here to see Billy, right?"

She found it amusing that the girl looked so displeased just at the thought of Nari wanting to see her stepbrother.

"No," she laughed. "I came to see one of the other guys on the team."

Max nodded, seemingly placated by that. She then gestured down to her leg, now free of the cast it had been in the last time Nari saw her.

"I got my cast taken off. _Finally._ You said we could go skating together when it's healed."

Nari was surprised the red-haired girl remembered but gave her a nod and a smile anyway. Despite the fact she was no longer on good terms – or speaking terms for that matter - with Billy, she didn't want to disappoint Max.

"Max."

Nari tensed up when she heard that voice. It was the voice that had been ignoring her for _weeks_ and from the tone of it, he seemed to be pissed off. Max looked with confusion behind Nari, presumably at where Billy stood, before she sent Nari an apologetic look, quickly moving past her and back out to the court. Nari turned to look at Billy with annoyance that was mirrored back to her in his own expression.

"What's your problem, Billy?" She sighed.

"Stay away from Max," was the only answer he gave.

"I was just talking to her," she replied calmly, not wanting to get into an argument. "What's wrong with that?"

He didn't seem to have a good answer, as he remained silent. Nari observed how on edge he seemed to be and wondered what the cause of it was. His whole body was rigid, but his round blue eyes seemed to betray the frustration that was begging to be released within him.

"Look," she began with trepidation. "I haven't told anyone, okay? But if you want to talk about it - "

"Forget it, Miller," he cut her off angrily. "You don't get to judge me just because your life is so fucking _perfect_."

He practically spat the word out and Nari was taken aback by it. His assumption made it hit home just how little they really knew about each other. Yet, she was determined to make him see her true intentions.

"I'm not judging you, Billy! I'm trying to help you out, because I thought we were friends. Believe it or not, I do give a shit about what happens to you!"

He was silent again, and despite that he was glaring at her, Nari could tell that her words had thrown him off by the way he hesitated over how to respond. Yet, she could also see that it was no use trying to talk to him about what she'd seen at his house and decided to relent for now. There were countless more things she wanted to say to him, but she held her tongue, instead just walking past him and heading back to the bleachers to watch the rest of the game.

Billy seemed distracted in the second half; he didn't move as effortlessly or with as much precision as he previously had, and it cost the Vikings some points. Nari felt slightly bad, wondering if their exchange had affected him more than she had initially thought. However, despite Billy not being as focused, the Vikings still won the game and she found herself with the rest of the SaMoHi portion of the crowd. When Nari went down to the court after the game, she was quickly swept up into a hug by Vance.

"Eww," she complained with a laugh. "Let me down, Van. You're all sweaty."

He let her go but gave her a goofy grin. His mane of blonde hair didn't have as much bounce as it usually did, but he still seemed to be glowing from the exhilaration of winning the game.

"You guys were awesome," she praised. "Congrats!"

"Thanks," his smile softened. "Are you hungry? Do you wanna grab some food?"

"Sure," she nodded. "I'll grab Rach and Dean and we can all go together."

Nari had turned away to seek out their friends before she could see the way Vance slightly deflated, clearly wanting their meal to be just between the two of them. She did, however, notice Neil Hargrove having quiet, yet clearly aggressive words with his son. She got a bad feeling from Neil, like she had only seen the surface of what he was capable of, and she wondered if his presence was the reason Billy had been so on edge. Still, Billy had made it clear that his family and home life were none of her business, so she forced herself to look away and push it to the back of her mind. If he wanted to talk about it, she had given the offer. There wasn't much else she could do for the time being.

* * *

 **A/N:** Chuseok is sometimes referred to as the Korean Thanksgiving, but other than the time of year and a big meal, the two holidays don't have much in common in my opinion. Chuseok generally takes place over three days sometime between mid-September and early October. It's a harvest festival that focuses on honouring your ancestors, so I feel like it actually has more in common with Samhain than Thanksgiving. As mentioned in this chapter, Nari's family celebrates Chuseok on the correct date, but enjoys some of the foods commonly associated with Chuseok during their American Thanksgiving celebrations as well.

'Yeobo' (여보) is essentially just a pronoun for 'husband' in Korean.

-a or -ya (아, 야) is a casual title used at the end of names for both males and females. If a name ends in a consonant -a is used, while -ya is used if the name ends in a vowel. It indicates some intimacy in the relationship.

'Ne' (네) is a standard way of saying of saying 'yes' that isn't really formal or informal and can be used in any occasion or situation.

'Eomma' (엄마) is the equivalent of 'mom'.


	10. 10 - Talk to Me Devil, Again

**A/N:** This is a pretty important chapter, as it's a turning point for the story and I really hope I've properly conveyed that in how I've written it. I've re-written it so many times and at this point I just want to continue on and write the next chapter. However, if you guys have any feedback and/or suggestions on how to improve this chapter, it would be really appreciated.

\- Posted on January 31, 2020.

* * *

 ** _Devil unwind what's empty_**

 ** _Devil unbind my heart_**

 ** _Devil make the two ends meet_**

 ** _Devil if I fall apart_**

 ** _-_** **Talk to Me Devil, Again by Magnolia Electric Co. (2006)**

* * *

Nari pulled her jacket on as she left Zucky's late on a Friday night. The early December chill was around 50 degrees that evening, and she already couldn't wait for the weather to warm up again. Thankfully, the days had still been relatively warm, but with it being past midnight, Nari found herself clutching her jacket tightly around her and wishing she'd brought her skateboard with her to get home faster. Instead, she walked quickly down Wilshire Boulevard, trying to ignore the cold temperature and instead focus on getting home as quickly as possible. After a few blocks she finally reached Lincoln Park, and decided to cut through it to get home sooner. The neighbourhood was relatively calm and quiet, but as she got closer to the basketball courts, she heard the tell-tale signs of someone else nearby. Eventually, a familiar figure came into view, shooting hoops on his own. Nari stopped in her tracks, perplexed as to why Billy Hargrove was there at nearly 1am on a cold December night. He moved quickly along the court despite not being dressed for the sport, and it looked as though he was venting his frustrations out on the ball. Billy was so focused on what he was doing that he didn't seem to notice her until she spoke.

"Billy?" She asked hesitantly, their last few encounters still fresh in her mind.

He caught the ball as it bounced back up towards him and then turned to face her. She bit back a gasp at the sight of his split bottom lip, knowing it would only make him irritated if she drew attention to it. It was obvious to Nari that he wasn't in a good mood, but rather than looking angry, he just seemed tired, so she wanted to avoid making his temper flare.

"What do you want, Miller?" He sighed.

He turned his back on her again and threw the ball towards the hoop, letting it fall through the net and bounce back to him. She considered her options, deciding that asking him why he was out there so late would only be asking for another argument. Besides, she was able to guess what might have driven him to be out there at that time of night.

"It's cold out," she commented.

"Thanks, I had no idea," was his condescending response, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he shot another goal.

"Billy, come on," Nari practically pleaded with him. "What are you going to achieve by staying out here?"

He ignored her, continuing to throw the ball towards the hoop and Nari assessed her options. She didn't feel right about turning her back on him and leaving him there. She had a feeling that he had no intention to return home for the rest of the night and there was no way she was going to leave him alone, outside in the cold.

"You can come to my place for a while, okay?" She finally suggested.

He finally turned back around to face her, his facial expression conveying how he thought she was crazy for the offer. Nari wasn't about to back down though and stood her ground.

"I'm not leaving you here," she stubbornly asserted. "So, either you head home, or you come with me. Besides, my parents aren't home, so it's not a big deal."

He took a moment to consider her words before he surprised her by throwing the ball at her. Unlike when they had detention, this time she actually caught it and Nari understood that he had given in and silently agreed to come with her. If she had learnt anything about Billy, it was how big his pride could be, and it was likely only the fact that her parents were away for the weekend that had made him agree to her offer, as there would be no questions asked. She saw a hint of a smile on his face before he was walking over to her and she quickly led the way as he fell into step beside her. There was silence between them for a few moments as they walked to the edge of the park, but Nari didn't mind so much. She began to attempt at dribbling the ball he had thrown to her as they walked, hoping the extra movement might help her warm up a little, as well as give her mind something to focus on. However, her skills in basketball had not improved and the ball bounced out of her reach. She stumbled, trying to chase after it, but Billy caught it before she could.

"You're hopeless, you know that?" He smirked down at her, clearly amused.

Rather than give him a snarky retort, Nari simply beamed at him, happy that he seemed to be relatively normal with her once again. She didn't know the reason behind it, but she also didn't care. Her reaction surprised her, but it also seemed to surprise Billy, who gave her a puzzled look, before seeming to brush it off. They fell into a comfortable silence again, Nari not wanting to say the wrong thing and ruin the calm atmosphere between them. It didn't take long to reach her front door and she grabbed her key from her bag, quickly unlocking the door. She let him in, turning on the lights and setting her bag down on the dining table. Turning to Billy, she saw that he looked a little bit out of his element. She frowned at the sight of his busted lip, able to see it better in the light of her home.

"Sit here," she instructed, gesturing to one of the chairs at her dining table. "I'll be right back."

She turned to go down her hallway and into the bathroom before he could respond. Nari opened up the bathroom cabinet, quickly getting out some antiseptic, gauze and cotton swabs that she then carried back out to the dining table. He hadn't sat down, but rather was still standing where she'd left him, looking a little uncomfortable. He immediately took notice of the items she'd grabbed when she returned, frowning at the sight of them.

"Come on Billy, sit down," she told him again.

"Miller, I don't need - "

"Yes, you do," she cut him off. "It could get infected."

Luckily for Nari, Billy decided to humour her. Yet, if the look on his face was anything to go by as he begrudgingly sat down, he wasn't overly happy about it. Nari dropped the items onto the table, before quickly walking to the open kitchen that joined onto the dining area. She washed her hands, dried them and then moved back over to the table. She sat down in the chair beside Billy, turning it to face him and leant forward to get a good look at the cut. She could feel the heat of his gaze on her as she inspected the wound, but tried her best to ignore it. The cut was still fairly fresh, as not all of the blood had dried. She reached out to gently take hold of his chin, tilting it down towards his chest to help drain any remaining blood out of his mouth. She had sustained countless injuries while skateboarding as she was growing up, so the process of treating the cut on his lip was second nature to her. However, what was not so familiar was the way her heart seemed to race at their close proximity, or how her mind couldn't seem to pay attention to anything other than how soft his skin felt beneath her fingertips. She took a shaky breath, willing herself to focus solely on the task at hand.

"Hold still," she instructed, looking up at him.

Billy had turned his gaze away from her, but she didn't mind. Nari was just grateful that he was allowing her to help him, considering it to be progress. She dipped one of the cotton swabs in some of the antiseptic before lifting it to the cut on his lip to deep clean the wound. Once the wound was efficiently cleaned, Nari inspected the rest of his face for injuries, but thankfully found none. With that done, Nari pressed some clean gauze to the wound.

"Apply pressure here for 15 minutes," she told him, reaching out to lift one of his hands to take over and keep the pressure on his lip.

"15 minutes?" He repeated, voice slightly muffled from the gauze.

He clearly wasn't happy, his eyes narrowing in annoyance. He went to lower his arm but was stopped by her hand clamping down firmly over his own.

"Yes, _15 minutes,_ " she reiterated. "Watch some TV or something. I'm going to have a quick shower and when I'm done you can remove the pressure."

He glared at her, but there was no real malice in his gaze, so Nari wasn't bothered by it and disappeared down the hall again to have her shower. When she was done and had dressed in some comfortable sweats and a cami, Nari returned to find Billy standing in her living room, looking at the numerous family photos that adorned the walls. Much to her annoyance, the gauze was nowhere to be seen, but she decided to let it go.

"Do you want a beer?" She offered.

He turned to look at her, his gaze more guarded than it had been before she'd left to take her shower.

"Sure," he replied.

She went back down the hall and to the door that led to the garage. Billy followed her this time and as soon as she flicked the light switch on, his attention seemed to be fully captivated by the vehicle sitting inside. She rolled her eyes with a tight smile, heading to her dad's beer fridge to grab two cans out. She attempted to avoid looking at the light blue Chevy parked in her garage, but that proved to be impossible thanks to Billy.

"That's an El Camino," he stated the obvious, clearly in awe.

"I've noticed," she couldn't help but laugh.

"Is it your dad's?"

"No…" she trailed off, the smile falling from her face. "It was my brother's. He left it to me."

"It's yours?" He said slowly, apparently in disbelief.

On any other occasion, Nari would have found the clear surprise on Billy's face to be highly amusing. However, in that moment, she just wanted to drop the topic of their conversation. Her mood had rapidly deflated, and she suddenly wished she hadn't offered the beer in the first place. It had become second nature to ignore the coupé utility vehicle that had been returned back to L.A. from Massachusetts at the beginning of the year, but now Billy was clearly interested in the classic Chevy and it dawned on Nari that her desire to avoid talking about it would only cause him to have more questions.

"Yeah, it's mine," she replied simply, trying to get him to forget about it. "Come on."

She handed him his beer as she passed him, heading back into the house and waiting expectantly at the doorway for him to follow her. Eventually he did, now looking slightly confused, but she was grateful that he seemed willing to drop it for now.

"You can stay the night," she offered, sitting down on the sofa as she took a sip of her beer. "If you need to."

She gestured to the fresh towel and the clean pair of her dad's sweatpants she'd brought out after her shower. He joined her, sitting at the other end and leaving a good amount of space between them. She noticed that his expression seemed to sour as he was reminded of why he was in her house in the first place, his thoughts of her old Chevy now all but erased from his mind – or so it seemed. Nari felt bad that the painful reminder of her memories was lifted, only for Billy to then be placed in a similar predicament.

"It's fine," he muttered, not looking at her.

Since speaking to him at the Vikings game, Nari had thought a lot about Billy's situation. She could tell that it was hard for him to know that she had seen him in a vulnerable state. She knew it was a secret he never wanted to have shared and she could relate to that to a certain extent. Yet, Nari also knew that there was no way she could let it go now that she had seen the reality of his home life. She wouldn't force him to talk about it, as she knew all too well what it felt like to be pressured into being emotionally exposed in front of someone. However, Nari wasn't about to turn a blind eye either.

"Billy, it's late," she sighed. "Just crash here for the night and go home in the morning. My parents are gone all weekend, so it's not a big deal."

He didn't say anything in response, so she took that as his silent acceptance of her offer. While he was still looking away from her, she could tell that he seemed to be considering something and Nari realised that she had never seen him so clearly deep in thought before. He took a drink of his beer and then his eyes lifted to meet hers. Nari suddenly felt exposed, trapped in his gaze that never faltered and seemed to pierce through her. He was assessing her, those pale blue eyes pulling her in like a moth to a flame and leaving her frozen as he scrutinised her.

"You own a '67 El Camino," he stated, drawing out the words as though he was analysing something in his head. "Why don't you drive it?"

She finally broke her gaze away from his, annoyed, because she had been fool enough to believe that he had been successfully distracted from the topic. He had seen the family photos in her living room, had heard the way she referred to her brother leaving something incredibly valuable to her that she couldn't even use yet and he'd even had her refuse to go in his car several times. It was clear that he was putting the pieces together in his head and she didn't want to have to deal with his questions.

"I'm not 16 yet."

She tried to brush it off, but she knew that he had picked up on how guarded she was whenever the car was mentioned. Billy didn't say anything for a moment, still piercing her with his calculating gaze. She didn't like it; she much preferred his aloofness and even his anger. That was much better than knowing he was mentally breaking down her walls and seeing through her properly for the first time.

"That's not the only reason," he stated, both of them knowing he was right.

Nari couldn't look at him, instead staring down at her lap, gaze focused on the beer she held in her hands. It was obvious to her that the panic she was feeling was only drawing more attention to the fact that there was something she wasn't saying. She could still feel his gaze on her, and it made her a million times more uncomfortable. With anyone else, she would have lashed out and snapped at them to drop it, but instead she felt unsure of what to do. The feeling was similar to being backed into a corner, trapped with nowhere to go, and yet neither of them had moved.

"He died, okay?" She blurted out before she even realised it, simply wanting the pressure to be relieved from her.

She froze once the words left her lips, in shock at her own admission. She still couldn't look at him, but for some reason Nari didn't feel the usual heaviness that came with talking about her brother. She wasn't consumed by guilt or grief or even the desire to ignore it. Something about being alone in that moment with Billy was reassuring and she supposed it was that she had seen him in a vulnerable state before, had seen him lash out in such a similar way to how she would when forced to confront her feelings over a sensitive topic. And so, Nari felt that maybe it was okay to allow herself to be vulnerable in front of him too. She suddenly felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders by saying the words aloud – the words she had refused to speak in the year since it had happened. And with that relief came release, as suddenly Nari couldn't stop talking and it all seemed to just come out of her, bursting forth now that the wall had been broken down.

"TJ was the golden child. My parents adored him, and he could do no wrong. He was eight years older than me and was always way too protective, but I was still really close to him. He went straight to college once he graduated high school. He was so smart too; he got into Harvard and never really looked back. He was about to do his final undergrad semester and we were visiting him for the Christmas break. I was so happy for him. So _proud_."

She paused then, looking up to try and stop her tears from falling. Her eyes met with Billy's again and his gaze seemed to steady her. He was listening attentively to her words and she took comfort in the fact that there was no pity in his stare, but rather there was understanding there. She had always been close to her brother, Tae-Joon, and his death had crushed her. Yet, in that moment Nari knew that while hers and Billy's situations were so different, there was something that brought them closer in their individual traumas. Nari didn't want the pity she had seen so many times in Jay, Rachel and Eiza's eyes. The quiet understanding in Billy's gaze brought her more comfort than she ever would have expected.

"We went out to do some Christmas shopping for mom and dad," she continued, her voice wavering. "We took their car and got into an argument about mom's present. I can't even remember exactly what we were arguing about now. It was so stupid. I was being such a brat and I… I distracted him. The car went over some black ice and he lost control. We… we went off the road and went right into a tree… I had minor injuries, but he… he died on impact."

Nari tried to distance herself from her emotions as she recounted what happened. She tried not to relive the memory, but it was useless. She could remember every detail; the screeching of the car tires, the panic that surged through her as the reality of what was happening flashed through her mind, the jolt against her seatbelt as the car collided with the tree and the immense terror and guilt that surged through her when TJ wouldn't respond to her cries.

"It was all my fault," she whispered shakily. "My mom was devastated; locked herself away for a whole month and I couldn't even apologise for what I'd done. It should have been me, not him. He had so much potential. He was going to be a doctor, was going to save lives. I'll never live up to that, but it didn't stop me from trying to do better at school after the accident. Anything to try and live up to his image."

She knew that some of her classmates had noticed the change in her. The change from a careless, spitfire of a girl, to suddenly working her ass off to keep her grades up. She even remembered Vance's words from not too long ago, showing that even he had seen the shift in her focus.

 _You never used to care that much about your grades,_ he had observed as they sat together in the surf.

"I can't stand to be in a car since then," she continued. "He promised me when he left for college that if I got my grades up to at least a B+ average by the time I graduated high school, then the El Camino was mine. Back then I'd been so happy that it might be mine one day, but I still didn't really put in an effort to improve my grades, regardless. Instead, I got it anyway, because of what happened. I can't even get inside a car, let alone get my licence. It's useless to me and yet it's the only thing I really have left of him."

Nari had barely been keeping her emotions in control, but at the thought of getting into a car – let alone her brother's prized Chevy – caused her whole body to shake. The tears began to fall and Nari couldn't stop them. Her immense guilt meant that she hadn't allowed herself to properly grieve, and instead her pent-up emotions had come out in frustration and anger for an entire year. She had run away from dealing with his death and now it was all catching up to her. It was a relief to finally let it all out, yet the circumstances it was happening in left her overwhelmed. Nari buried her face in her hands, too upset to feel embarrassed that Billy was witnessing her have a complete breakdown. Yet, he didn't seem to mind. In fact, the next thing she knew, Nari felt him placing his hand just above her knee, squeezing her there in reassurance.

"Hey, it's okay," he soothed, his voice oddly calming.

Nari would have been stunned in any other situation, but instead she found his touch to be comforting. Still, the tears just kept coming and after a moment his arms moved to hesitantly wrap around her. Previously, he had tensed up over far less intimacy with her than this, yet his embrace felt so strangely warm and soothing that she could only take comfort from it. She clung to him, welcoming the hug and letting it all out of her system. It was a little awkward, as she could tell Billy wasn't completely relaxed in the embrace, but the fact that he had offered it to her was what mattered. When her crying died down, the embarrassment finally caught up to her and she pulled away, wiping the tears from her cheeks and unable to look him in the eye.

"It wasn't your fault," he told her quietly.

She finally looked at him again, seeing how calm he was, and it reassured her. Now he had seen her at her weakest, and it didn't look like he was judging her. Instead, there was still that simple understanding between them, and it was comforting. She was relieved to not hear 'I'm sorry,' the words that had become exhausted to the point they only felt hollow and meaningless to her. The countless times she had heard 'I'm sorry', even from those closest to her, had only made her feel more distant. Billy seemed to understand though, in his own way. He seemed to understand how useless those words were and instead offered ones that held much more meaning and were really what she had been desperate to hear all along. The guilt had eaten her up inside. The fact that TJ was dead, the way her mother had grieved and locked herself away, the divide that was suddenly present in her family – Nari had felt for almost an entire year that it was all her fault. And there was Billy Hargrove, the boy who she had not so long ago despised, reassuring her that it wasn't her fault after all.

"It's not your fault either," she eventually replied, offering him a small smile.

While she hadn't specified, they both knew she wasn't referring to her brother and Nari was relieved to see Billy return her smile, with a tiny one of his own as he looked away. He wasn't angered by what she said and that was good enough for her. She went to apologise for her tearful meltdown, but the words died on her tongue. Instead, she downed the rest of her beer and tried to regain some composure. She felt relief at finally talking about TJ's death, but it had also exhausted her. Still, she didn't want to go to bed with her emotions still running rampant and wanted to try and calm down first instead.

"Do you want to watch a movie?" She asked hesitantly.

He looked at her again, seeming a little surprised by the sudden change in topic.

"Sure," he agreed, piercing her once again with his calculating gaze.

Nari offered him a small smile, relieved more than anything about the fact that he seemed to understand that she didn't want to talk about TJ anymore for the time being. He didn't ask any questions, offer any advice or try to comfort her. Instead, he had patiently allowed her to get it off her chest, offered her reassurance without going overboard and now seemed willing to watch a film with her so she could get her mind off it. It meant a lot to Nari, but she couldn't help but wonder if Billy also needed distracting from what was going on in his own home life.

"I'll be right back," she told him, getting up from the sofa and gesturing to the sweats she'd laid out for him. "Feel free to get changed, if you want."

Nari didn't give him a chance to reply before she hurried down the hall to her room. She already felt a bit calmer as she grabbed a couple of pillows and blankets. When Nari returned to the living room, her eyes were still slightly red and puffy, but she felt considerably better, nonetheless. Billy had changed into the sweatpants and she laid everything out on the sofa before going over to the cabinet that sat beneath the TV. Looking through the different options, she finally decided on a film to watch. Billy was still sitting on her L-shaped sofa, so she settled herself on the other end to give him room to stretch out. Nari snuggled up into one of the blankets as she pressed play on the remote for her VCR. He shook his head at her in amusement before turning his attention to _Raiders of the Lost Ark_ as it started playing. Nari figured it wasn't his usual type of film, but also knew she could've chosen a lot worse. He was silent, which she took as a good sign, and the two of them immersed themselves in the movie. Nari focused all of her attention on the film and as her fatigue caught up to her, she failed to notice the glances Billy kept sending her way. Her emotions settled and she felt herself becoming calmer as her body relaxed, and her eyes drooped. She quickly lost focus on what adventures Indiana Jones was experiencing _,_ as sleep finally began to consume her exhausted mind. Billy didn't bother to disturb her, his own thoughts keeping him occupied until he too fell asleep a considerable amount of time later.

* * *

 **A/N:** I'm so nervous about this chapter because of the different side we see to Billy and Nari. Of course, it's important to see more depth to their personalities as the story develops, but I'm honestly worried about Billy seeming out of character. So feel free to let me know if you think he is. I just think he would be kind of awkward about comforting someone, but to me it felt natural that he would at least try and console Nari in this situation. While their losses have happened in different contexts, they have both lost someone important to them (Billy's mother in his case), so I think there would be a sense of understanding from him. I also have plans for some of the next chapter to be from his POV (still in 3rd person though), so if I stick to that then we will get a bit more insight as to his perspective.

I hope this chapter flowed okay and made sense. Again, please let me know if you guys think there's anything that could be improved.

Lincoln Park, which is mentioned in this chapter, is now called Christine Emerson Reed Park, but was called Lincoln Park in the 80s. The name only changed in 1998.

Thank you to everyone who has commented, favourited and/or followed. It really means a lot!


	11. 11 - Show Me Your Soul

\- Posted February 2, 2020.

* * *

 _Into my life you were injected_

 _Not something that I expected_

 _Now I smile from your affection_

 _We have made a soul connection_

 ** _-_** **Show Me Your Soul by the Red Hot Chili Peppers (1990)**

* * *

Billy woke up the next morning feeling disoriented and a little stiff from sleeping on the sofa all night. It took a moment for him to realise where exactly he was, but once he saw Nari snuggled up in her blanket and sleeping peacefully not too far away from him, Billy remembered what had happened the night before. He watched her for a moment, contemplating everything she had revealed to him about her brother. To say he was surprised by her opening up so suddenly to him would be an understatement, yet Billy also couldn't deny that everything she had revealed caused him to see her in a new light. Through the time he had known Nari, he'd had an image of her within his mind as someone who had never really experienced anything bad in her life. He had taken her fiery temper as insolence, rather than a way to vent out everything she had been bottling up inside. It turned out that her life wasn't as perfect as he'd assumed, and the revelation left him with a greater understanding of her.

Billy turned his attention away from Nari, realising she wasn't about to wake up any time soon. He stood from the sofa, picked up the clean towel she had set down for him the night before and headed for the bathroom to have a quick shower. Billy prided himself on always looking his best; it was just another thing that his dad got on his back about, but that didn't stop him from always ensuring that his clothing showed off his well-built figure, or that his hair was curled _just right_ , or that he had put on the perfect amount of cologne to be appealing, but not overbearing. Considering he didn't have his cologne at his disposal, Billy poured a generous amount of body wash out of the bottle that sat in Nari's shower. The scent of Magnolias permeated his senses, but he begrudgingly accepted the reality of smelling like a flower since it was his only option in that moment. As he lathered his body with the soap, Billy realised it was the fragrance he had come to associate with Nari without even realising it.

Once he was out of the shower, Billy took his time getting ready in front of the bathroom mirror before getting dressed. He then walked back out to the living room to find Nari sleepily pouring herself some cereal, bringing a smile to his face before he could help it. Her eyes were only half open, her hair was slightly ruffled, and she moved slowly, without her usual amount of energy. It took her a moment to notice him, but once she did, she didn't say a word but rather just turned back to the cupboard and grabbed another bowl. Wordlessly, Billy watched her with amusement as he witnessed another new side to her. He never would have imagined seeing her look so much like a zombie and it was such a pitiful sight that he had to suppress his laughter.

"Morning," she said.

Her voice was slightly lower than normal and cracked a little as it warmed up after hours of sleep. She handed him the empty bowl, gestured to the milk and cereal box that still sat on the counter and walked past him to sit at the table with her own breakfast.

"Are you working today?" He asked as he poured himself some of the cereal.

"No," she grumbled, glaring daggers at her bowl as though it was responsible for how tired she was. "Why?"

"We should go to Huntington," he suggested, sitting down across from her and eating a spoonful. "The waves should be good down there."

Billy could tell that she was surprised he would suggest spending the day together, yet it was also clear that she saw through the meaning behind his words. Her eyes widened comically, and she suddenly looked much more awake.

"Huntington?" She repeated slowly. "You want to _drive_ down to Huntington?"

He nodded, not looking up from his cereal bowl as he took another mouthful. If he looked up at her, he'd be sucked in by her puppy dog eyes. So, instead, he kept his gaze off her, anticipating the outburst that was sure to come.

"No," she said hurriedly, quickly taking a drink of her orange juice. "No way. I _told_ you I can't get inside a car. If you want to go surfing we can just go down to the pier and - "

"Miller," he cut her off calmly. "You can't just never get inside a car again. It's only an hour and I'll drive - "

"I've seen you drive, Billy," she scoffed. "There's no way I'm getting in a car with you."

Billy didn't take offence to her words and instead continued to try and persuade her.

"You can't keep running from your fear," he pointed out. "I'll take it easy and if you want to stop, I will."

She bit her lip, considering his words for a moment before peering over at him with that adorable look she had no idea could make him cave in an instant. Billy anticipated her refusing yet again, but instead she managed to surprise him.

"You promise?" She asked hesitantly, lips in a slight pout while her eyes were wide and almost pleading.

"Yeah," he let out a soft laugh. "I promise."

She looked away, seeming to once again consider his proposition, until she returned her gaze to him. She didn't appear to be any less apprehensive, but it was clear she had made her mind up.

"Okay," she agreed tentatively, giving him a slight nod.

Billy was surprised that she had accepted, especially so quickly, but he also understood that she was placing her trust in him and he didn't plan to disappoint. He watched as Nari quickly ate the rest of her cereal, seeming to be deep in thought. Once she was done, she quickly stood up from her chair and gave him a look over.

"Um, you can borrow my dad's wetsuit and board, if you want?"

She was still uncertain, so he gave her a small smile and a nod. She returned the gesture with an even bigger smile of her own.

"Okay, I'll just have a quick shower," she told him softly. "I won't be long."

Billy just nodded, watching after her as she disappeared down the hall.

* * *

Nari was on autopilot as she showered and got dressed; her mind was reeling from the idea that in a few minutes she would have to get in the El Camino. Deep down she knew that Billy was right. She needed to face her fear in order to get over it, but the thought of being in a car again gave her anxiety. Her hands shook as she got dressed, struggling to do up the zipper and button on her jeans, but she willed herself to relax. If she could get through this then it would be a start in finding some closure from TJ's death. Nari pulled on a shirt and a pair of shoes before grabbing her board and wetsuit and bringing them down the hall, towards the door that led to the garage. Billy moved to open the door and helped her load the board into the El Camino's cargo tray. She then grabbed her dad's rarely used wetsuit (that she thankfully found to be clean) and his surfboard. Once it was also loaded up, Nari felt nerves take over her once again.

"One step at a time," she mumbled to herself.

Nari handed Billy the keys, taking notice of how patient he was being with her and it gave her some reassurance. She opened up the garage door, hearing the familiar rumble of the El Camino starting up as Billy turned the key in the ignition. She stepped out of the way to let him reverse out onto the driveway, the sound of Foghat's _Slow Ride_ suddenly playing from the Chevy's speakers. Nari realised that one of TJ's mixtapes was still in the cassette player and it brought her a little more comfort. It reminded her that it was TJ's car and a piece of him would be with her still, once she got inside. Closing the garage door again, Nari slowly walked over to climb into the passenger seat. She saw that Billy was drumming his thumb against the steering wheel, but he leant over to turn the volume down once she had gotten inside. The black leather seats were both familiar and foreign to her; it had been so long since she'd sat in her brother's Chevy that it almost felt like the first time, but there were still tell-tale signs of him there. A Little Trees air freshener still hung from the rear-view mirror, likely devoid of any scent by that point, but she couldn't remember a time when TJ didn't have one hanging there. His old sunglasses sat untouched on the dashboard and Nari knew that if she opened the glove compartment, the rest of TJ's collection of cassette tapes would still be filling it up. Billy let her have her moment, for which she was grateful. She needed time to take it in – not just being in a car again, but being in _his_ car, looking just like he'd left it. She took a few breaths to calm herself down, before turning to look at Billy.

"Ready?" He asked.

She nodded, her hands curling into fists as she mentally told herself that she would be fine. He waited until she had done up her seatbelt and even when she leant over to unwind the window on her side. She felt like some fresh air might make her feel a bit better once they were moving. Once she was settled, Billy reversed the rest of the way out of the driveway and Nari turned the volume back up a little, the song reminding her of happier memories with her brother. She wasn't able to fully relax, but Nari was determined to at least _try_ and get through the drive. Logically, she knew that the accident had been just that – an accident, something that wasn't likely to happen again. After finally opening up about TJ's death, she wanted to prove to herself that she could get through it. Being surrounded by things that reminded her of him made her realise that he would want her to move on and get past her fears. He had always wanted the best for her, so she would do this for him, if for no one else.

"Dean and I are banned from that place," Billy said suddenly, distracting Nari from her thoughts.

She looked to see where he had pointed, which was a local burger joint on Lincoln Boulevard. She forced herself to uncurl her fists, realising her nails had been digging into the skin of her palms due to her nerves.

"What? Why?" She asked.

"Guess they didn't appreciate us throwing food everywhere," he shrugged, a small smile on his lips at the memory.

"You had a food fight?" She found herself laughing at the idea.

"Yeah, when we were in middle school," he replied, before pointing to a local video store. "And Van had a thing for a girl who worked there about a year ago. He's so hopeless, I kinda felt bad for him, stumbling over his words just to rent out a video."

Nari chuckled again, but also felt bad for laughing at Vance's expense. It dawned on her that Billy was telling her these things to distract her and keep her mind off her fear of being in a car again. She appreciated it and let herself focus on his stories, as he pointed out numerous places in their local neighbourhood, recalling the different antics he, Dean and Vance had gotten up to over the years. It worked to help her relax, her mind engrossed in what he was telling her as she laughed and enjoyed his company, rather than being consumed by her fears. By the time they pulled onto the Santa Monica Freeway, she felt much better. While Nari wasn't yet completely at ease, she was nowhere near as nervous as she had initially been. The two fell into an easy conversation and Nari didn't feel a need to ask him to stop at any point in the drive – something she was proud of herself for.

* * *

It was a bright, sunny day, despite it being early December. It was a little warmer than average, but Huntington Beach was known for having good weather year-round. Despite Billy's successful efforts to calm her down, Nari was relieved to step out of the El Camino again. Still, he'd kept to his word and had driven at an average speed the whole way, which she was grateful for. She walked to the cargo tray, grabbing her wetsuit out first before she took off her jeans and shirt. By then, Billy had joined her, tugging off his own shirt. Nari felt a chill cross over her skin as she stripped down to only her bikini, but her goosebumps only seemed to get worse when she saw Billy in just his boxers. She moved quickly to pick up her wetsuit, turning her back to him as she stepped into it and reached back for the zip. She froze when she felt Billy's fingers meet her own as he took over, zipping her up instead.

"Thanks," she mumbled, feeling more than a little awkward at the spark she felt when their skin had made contact.

He didn't reply and she turned to see him easily zipping up her dad's wetsuit, which fit him well. Nari longed for summer, when she didn't have to wear a wetsuit while she was surfing, but for the moment it was a necessity, even when it was a sunny winter day with a temperature in the early 70's. She picked up her board and Billy did the same, the two of them heading down to the water and Nari was grateful for the warmth the suit provided her. The water was cool, but neither of them really minded, both eager to surf the waves near the pier.

"My dad brought me down here a couple of times when I was a kid," she told him as they paddled out. "Jay's dad taught me more than he did though."

"How come?" Billy asked, his gaze set on the ocean out in front of them.

"My dad used to be in the military," she explained. "He was away a lot, until he got discharged because he was wounded in 'Naam."

"Geez, Miller, keep it light."

"Sorry," she laughed. "It wasn't that bad actually. He just lost vision in one eye, so it could have been way worse."

"Must be a hardass," he commented. "If he was in the army."

"No, actually," she smiled. "He's always been calm and relaxed. He never really got angry when we were growing up. He never really had a temper."

Billy grew silent at that and Nari realised her mistake. While her dad was a fair man, who only got strict when he had to be, the same could not be said for Billy's father.

"Come on," she said in an attempt to get his mind off it. "It's all yours."

She gestured to a decent sized wave that was coming in and smiled again when Billy paddled out to it. Nari watched when he lifted himself up onto the board and glided effortlessly along the wave, before briefly disappearing through the barrel. She grinned when he reappeared and the water began to flatten out, glad to see that the wave had successfully cheered him up, if his expression was anything to go off. Nari paddled further out then, wanting to get lost in the surf as well and enjoy the feel of the saltwater on her skin.

The two of them enjoyed the surf for a few more hours, not saying much to each other, but instead enjoying the experience individually. In the early afternoon, however, Nari felt herself getting hungry again and they paddled back to the shore. Warmed up by that point, she unzipped the top half of her wetsuit and wrung the water out of her hair as she stepped along the sand. Billy went ahead of her, heading to grab some burgers and fries, like they had agreed on, from one of the stores along the waterfront. Nari grabbed some sun lotion from the El Camino then stripped off her wetsuit completely and sat herself down in the sand. While she waited for him to come back, she applied the lotion to the newly exposed skin and was almost done when Billy returned with the food. He had also taken off his wetsuit, leaving him just in his boxers. Nari averted her gaze, a faint pink tinge to her cheeks. Instead, she set her gaze on the food, eyeing it eagerly, as she was starving after the energy she had exerted. Still, Nari stopped herself from grabbing her burger straight away.

"Hey, can you get my back?" She asked him shyly, but not wanting to burn.

He didn't answer right away and just stared at her instead. Nari furrowed her brow at him in silent questioning, which seemed to snap him out of it.

"Uh, sure," he replied, taking the lotion as she handed it out to him.

She was painfully aware of his presence as he knelt down in the sand behind her and when his hands and the cool lotion touched her skin, she jumped slightly. He rubbed it in, his movements seeming excruciatingly slow and Nari couldn't work out why her heart was beating so fast. He practically massaged it into her skin, but his touch was surprisingly soft and seemed to leave a trail of goosebumps behind.

"Are you cold?" He asked her, causing her to blush deeply in embarrassment.

"N-no!" She stammered out.

He stopped then, apparently done – much to her relief. Yet, when he had stood up and sat back down across from her, Nari saw that he had that infuriatingly smug smile on his lips, which she had grown used to. She grabbed her burger, seeking a distraction from the different emotions she was feeling and bit into it quickly. He laughed softly, which just made her blush even more, but thankfully Billy decided to humor her and started eating his own lunch as well. They ate in relative silence and eventually Nari relaxed again, enjoying the feel of the sun and sand on her skin. When she saw that Billy had finished eating and was now applying some lotion to himself as well, Nari stubbornly told herself that she would _not_ offer to help with his back. She didn't want to get flustered again just from simple skin on skin contact. It was humiliating.

Billy, however, seemed to have other ideas and held the bottle out to her expectantly. Nari sighed but accepted it anyway. She tried to keep a clear mind as her fingers traced over the smooth skin, spreading the lotion across his back, but instead she felt like she was on fire. She had never done anything but kiss a boy and something felt very intimate about touching Billy in that way. Except, it wasn't intimate in reality. If it were Rachel or Jay, she wouldn't think twice about it. So why was it getting under her skin, just because it was Billy? She shook her head rapidly and then quickly smoothed the rest of the lotion onto his back and moved away, letting out a sigh of relief. She opened one of the bottles of water he'd bought with their lunch and refused to look at him. She didn't need to see him to know that he was watching her with amusement. Nari settled back into the sand, content to bathe in the sun for a while and she enjoyed the silence for a moment before Billy decided to speak again.

"You should get your licence," he told her, also lying back on the sand. "When you turn 16."

She leant up a little to look over at him, perplexed. Her birthday wasn't far away, but since TJ's death, getting her licence was the last thing on her mind. She went to argue, but he beat her to it by speaking first.

"I'll teach you," he offered, turning his head to meet her gaze.

"What?" She asked, shocked.

"It wasn't your fault," he repeated the words he'd spoken the previous night. "And you shouldn't let it hold you back."

"Billy, you don't have to - "

"I know," he cut her off, oddly serious. "But I will."

She just stared at him for a moment, still taken aback by his offer. After a moment though, Nari made a decision.

"Okay," she agreed with a nod.

He gave her a small smile, but she didn't return it. With any luck, Nari figured he'd forget the offer once they were back in L.A. She laid back down in the sand, her mind whirling over the fact that only 24 hours ago she had thought he might never speak to her again. Now, there they were, lying on the sand, side by side, an hour's drive away from Santa Monica. Still, there was something comfortable in the atmosphere and the silence that had fallen between them wasn't awkward or strained. Nari realised that she quite liked spending time with Billy Hargrove, after all.

* * *

Nari leant her head back against the headrest, nowhere near as nervous as she had been that morning when she first got inside her brother's old car. She and Billy had gone back into the water once their lunch had settled and had stayed in the surf until the sun was almost on the horizon. The saltwater, sun and exercise had left Nari feeling tired. Combined with TJ's mixtape starting to play Blue Öyster Cult's _Astronomy_ , she found her eyes beginning to droop as Billy drove down the Pacific Coast Highway, heading back for L.A. That was until he broke the silence to say something completely unexpected.

"I can't remember a time when my dad wasn't an asshole, you know?"

Nari quickly sat up straighter in her seat, turning to look at him with wide eyes. She was now fully awake again and uncertain about whether she had imagined the whole thing, because Billy's full attention was still on the road in front of them. Looking closer though, she noticed the way his jaw was tense and how tightly his hands were gripping the steering wheel. Nari knew it was hard for him to talk about it and honestly wondered if he had _ever_ really opened up to anyone about it. She waited patiently, giving him the time that he needed before he was ready to talk again.

"He used to take it out on my mom, when I was a kid," Billy continued, voice low and strained. "She was amazing. I can still remember every little thing about her even though it's been years…"

Nari felt sympathy flood through her, wondering what had happened, but remained silent to allow him to continue.

"She was really beautiful; long blonde hair and almost always had a smile – even if it didn't reach her eyes. I even remember the necklace she always wore. This little oval-shaped pendant with the Virgin Mary on it…"

He trailed off with a humorless laugh, clearly haunted by the memories that were suddenly resurfacing. Nari knew he wasn't divulging them all, but she understood.

"She was so different to my dad; I'll never understand why they were together. He was a deadbeat cop and she was practically a gypsy. It was only a matter of time before she split. I guess I just wish she'd taken me with her."

Nari looked down at her lap, taking in what he'd told her. She had never really given his mom much thought, but now she felt awful that Billy clearly still loved her deeply, despite the fact she had abandoned him and left him with his father. He didn't have to say anything more for her to put the pieces together and work out the rest. His mom had left, and his dad's temper had become solely focused on him. Nari watched as he ran a hand through his curls, clearly frustrated. She could tell how hard it had been to tell her all of that, even if she would never really know how he felt. When his hand dropped from his hair, she reached out to grab hold of it, squeezing it in an attempt to comfort him. He didn't look at her, but the squeeze he gave back was enough to tell her that he appreciated the gesture. She dropped her hand from his, considering her next words carefully.

"Did you ever try to find her?" She asked cautiously, not wanting to overstep any boundaries.

"Yeah," he replied quietly.

He didn't need to elaborate for her to work out how _that_ had gone, so she instead decided to try and reassure him.

"Her loss," she pointed out. "You have your moments, but you're a good guy deep down, Billy."

He huffed out a soft laugh, shaking his head at her comment.

"Trust you to point out my faults, Miller."

The barely hidden smile showed that he wasn't annoyed and had even relaxed a little compared to how he had been only a moment prior.

"Did I mention deep, _deep_ down?" She joked.

Nari felt that he needed things to become light-hearted again in order to get his mind off what he'd just been telling her. It seemed to work, as he let out a genuine laugh, relaxing more into his seat as he continued driving down the highway. Nari smiled to herself, feeling considerably closer to Billy than she ever had. She knew it was difficult for him to talk about his parents – maybe even more than it was hard for her to open up about TJ. She wondered how long he had suffered in silence, bottling everything up. She suspected that Dean must have some idea about Billy's dad, but seriously doubted that they'd ever had a heart to heart about it. Nari resolved to try and be there for him, knowing it would still be hard for him to let her help him out. She would avoid being overbearing about it, but at least try to be around if he needed someone – even if he himself didn't realise that he did. So, when they finally got back to Santa Monica and pulled into her driveway, she turned to face him in the El Camino before getting out to open back up the garage.

"You can stay over again if you want," she offered.

"I should get back home," he declined. "Before I piss my dad off more than I already have."

"Okay," she nodded, unable to keep the worry from her expression.

"Relax," he offered her a small smile. "I'm used to it."

Her heart broke at that, but she didn't want to push him and got out to open the garage. As he drove the Chevy back in, Nari wondered about Max and how Neil Hargrove's temper affected her. She hoped that the little red-haired girl was at least safe from his abuse. Billy turned off the engine and got out, looking a little awkward as he came to stand in front of her.

"Thanks for today," she said. "It was exactly what I needed."

"No problem," he replied with a shrug. "See you later, Miller."

He walked out the garage door before she could reply and Nari knew he had put his walls back up. It didn't bother her though, she figured it was only natural that he would do that. He had opened up to her on the way back to L.A., allowing himself to be briefly vulnerable around her, just as she had been with him the night before. Nari would let him open up to her when and if he wanted to, at his own pace. There was no need for her to push him and so she pulled the garage door closed, going back into the house feeling happy that she had gotten much more than just her wish to have him talk to her again. She felt, without a doubt, that she truly could call Billy her friend and it brought a big smile to her face.

* * *

 **A/N:** I've always thought that Billy's necklace must have a lot of meaning to him. I'm pretty sure the only time we see him without it is at Tina's Halloween party. He even wears it when he's playing basketball, so I've always wondered what significance it has. Back when I first watched ST 2 I felt that it may have a connection to his mother and I honestly still think that could be likely since seeing ST 3. So I decided to incorporate that somewhat into this story, but with a twist that will come into play soon.

As for Neil's occupation, he is actually a security guard according to the Stranger Things wiki. However, since it's not uncommon for security guard's to be former cops, I have written that into this story. So at this point in the story, Neil is a security guard but he used to be a cop and there is a reason for it, which will play a role later on.

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. As always, feedback is really appreciated!


	12. 12 - Christmas Wrapping

**A/N:** I'm sorry guys! I intended for this chapter to be up a few days after the last one, but I had some things happen in my family that took my attention. Thankfully, it's only just been over a week since I uploaded the last chapter. I'm sorry if this chapter seems off or if the pacing doesn't seem right. I'm a bit distracted by everything going on in my personal life and I don't want to obsess over perfecting it and would rather get it out so I can keep writing and updating. I plan to go over this whole story once it's written and give it all another edit. But I hope it's okay for now. Thanks to everyone who has left reviews, and/or favourited/followed. It really means a lot!

\- Posted February 10, 2020.

* * *

 _Bah Humbug - now, that's too strong_

 _'Cause it is my favourite holiday_

 _But all this year's been a busy blur_

 _Don't think I have the energy_

 ** _-_ Christmas Wrapping by the Waitresses (1981)**

* * *

Mr Gillespie tried to keep control of the class, but it was useless, as all of the students had their eyes on the clock. It was Nari's final class before winter break officially began and she couldn't help but squirm in her seat with impatience. She was looking forward to having two blissful weeks off from school and when the bell finally rang, she joined the rest of the class in scrambling up from her seat and racing out the door. When she was almost at the end of the school hallway, Nari spotted Billy and made a beeline towards him.

"Hey," she greeted when he noticed her. "I wanted to ask you something."

"What is it?" He asked, slowing his pace so she could keep up.

"I had an idea of a gift to get Max for Christmas," she explained. "I'm going to pick it up this afternoon -"

"Why would you get her something?" He cut her off, obviously confused.

"Because she's a cool kid and I want to," she replied with a huff. "But anyway, I was wondering if she's at home this weekend, so that I could maybe drop it off at your house?"

"No," was his curt response.

"No, she's not at home?" Nari questioned slowly, thrown off by his short answer.

"No, you can't come to my house," he elaborated, getting increasingly annoyed.

"Why not?"

He didn't respond, but the way he was tensing up allowed Nari to gather a general idea as to what the reason might be.

"Okay…" she sighed, knowing he wouldn't budge. "Well can I meet you guys somewhere else?"

Billy went to respond, but he was cut off.

"There you are," Rachel said, linking her arm with Nari's. "I thought we were meeting up at my locker?"

"Oh, sorry, Rach," Nari apologised sheepishly.

"Hey, Billy," Rachel greeted, only half paying attention to his presence before she turned back to Nari. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah," Nari replied, returning her gaze to Billy. "I'm working tomorrow afternoon. Stop by then?"

"Yeah, sure," he agreed.

She sent him a small smile before Rachel was pulling her along, eager to leave and get started on their Christmas shopping.

"What was that about?" Rachel asked once they were a considerable distance away.

"Nothing," Nari replied.

"Why are you asking Billy to visit you at work?"

"I'm gonna get his sister something for Christmas and wanted to give it to her."

"His sister?" Rachel questioned. "Why?"

"She's awesome," Nari shrugged. "She skates, but her board is pretty old, and I thought it'd be nice to get her a new one."

"When did you meet his sister?"

"When we had to do that stupid presentation on Oedipus," Nari groaned, remembering the struggles of being paired with Billy on that assignment.

"Still, you're buying her a skateboard?" Rachel asked incredulously. "You always go overboard with gifts."

Nari just laughed, knowing her best friend was right. She had always loved giving gifts and got something for practically everyone she knew at Christmas. Over the past year she had also worked a lot more than usual and therefore had a significant amount of savings and planned to spoil everyone she bought gifts for. When the two girls reached Santa Monica Place, a shopping mall that had opened up a few years ago, they immediately set out to buy their gifts. Their first stop was a music store, selling a range of instruments and musical equipment.

"What about these for Van?" Nari asked, holding up a pair of drumsticks for Rachel to look at.

"Yeah, he's always breaking them," Rachel laughed.

"Maybe I should get a few pairs then."

"One pair is plenty, Nari," Rachel sighed, rolling her eyes.

Nari took the drumsticks and continued to browse through the store, looking for something she could possibly get for Jay and Jodi. They continued to wander through the mall, their lists gradually getting shorter as their hands became laden with more and more shopping bags.

"Hey," Rachel spoke tentatively as they walked past different storefronts. "Do you want to do anything next Thursday? I mean, if you want to be alone, I understand but -"

"It's okay, Rach," Nari cut her off. "I'll probably just spend the day at home."

"Really?" Rachel asked, obviously shocked.

"Yeah," Nari replied with a nod, feeling uncomfortable talking about it.

She knew that Rachel expected her to try and ignore the anniversary of TJ's death, but Nari didn't want to run from what had happened anymore. Instead, she had decided to try and properly process the loss of her brother and eventually work on mending the broken bridges within her family. If Billy's situation had taught her anything, it was to cherish the family that she had left, as her parents had always put her needs first and tried to give her the best life they could. Christmas had always been her favourite holiday and the previous one had been spent grieving. While she knew that this year's Christmas would likely not be one of her happiest either and her usual enthusiasm for the holiday was slightly lacking, Nari was still determined to put some effort in. Rachel seemed to notice her discomfort and decided not to push it. Instead, she pointed out a store to Nari and they went inside, their attention once again set on buying gifts.

She helped Rachel pick out something for Dean and also bought presents for her dad and Eiza, before heading into a jewellery store to find something for her mom. It was a brightly lit store, the metal and gems sparkling under the lights. Nari gazed into the different glass cabinets, eyeing all of the different pieces while she tried to find anything that her mom might like. She found a couple of pendants that she knew were a style Iseul would love, but still continued to look at everything on display until something unexpected caught her eye. A completely different person came to mind when she saw the shiny pendants in the cabinet and an idea started to form. It was much to her relief, as Nari had yet to work out what to give that particular person for their Christmas gift.

"Hey, I'm gonna go and get your present," Rachel told her, taking her attention away from the display cabinet. "I'll meet you at the food court in an hour?"

"Okay," Nari nodded in agreement.

She eyed the jewellery piece that had gained her attention one more time, trying to decide what exactly to do before she turned away again. She then picked out something for her mother and once it was paid for, Nari left the store to get Max and Rachel's gifts. She continued her shopping over the next hour before meeting up again with her best friend, yet the whole time her mind was set on how she would bring her idea into fruition.

* * *

Zucky's was as busy as it usually was on a Saturday afternoon and Nari found herself glad that it was making her shift go quicker. She was constantly moving around the deli, running orders back and forth. She had almost forgotten that she'd asked Billy to drop in, but when he stepped through the door with Max behind him, Nari was glad that it was when there was a slight lull in customers.

"Gina, I'm gonna take a quick break," she told her co-worker, taking off her apron.

Billy and Max walked over to her and she gave them a smile that the younger girl returned tenfold. Billy seemed like he was already bored, but Nari ignored him in favour of Max.

"Hey grom," she greeted. "Wait here, I've got something for you."

"We're not eating?" Max asked Billy, apparently unaware of why he'd brought her there.

"I mean, you can if you want," Nari shrugged. "But once you see what I have, you might change your mind. I'll be right back."

She went out the back to where she had placed Max's new skateboard and then brought it back out, trying to hide it behind her back. It wasn't much use, as Max's eyes widened, and her jaw dropped when she caught sight of Nari again.

"I couldn't wrap it, but I hope you like -"

"You got me a new skateboard?" Max cut her off, quickly closing the distance between them.

"Yeah," Nari laughed, handing it to her. "Merry Christmas, Max."

The younger girl took it with wide eyes, clearly in awe. It was a brand-new Madrid skateboard, much brighter in colour than her old one and if her excitement was any indication, it seemed that she loved it.

"Wow, thanks Nari," she said, quickly leaning over to give her a hug before disappearing back out the door.

Nari laughed, her and Billy following to see her jump onto the board and skate down the street, testing it out.

"Max!" Billy called after her in annoyance.

The girl turned her head but didn't stop.

"Be careful," Nari yelled out, the amusement clear in her tone.

Billy sighed, causing Nari to turn her gaze onto him.

"She'll be back," she assured him. "I got you something too."

That seemed to get his attention and he turned to fully face her.

"Miller, you didn't have to get me anything," he said, clearly uncomfortable.

"I know," she smiled. "But I always get my friends something for Christmas."

She handed him the present and he gave her a look filled with suspicion before reluctantly taking it. She watched his expression carefully as he unwrapped it and then opened up the square shaped leather box. She had gotten up early that morning and visited numerous different stores until a little antique shop had exactly what she'd been searching for. It was thankfully far more subtle and not as shiny as what she'd seen in the jewellery shop at the mall. She knew the gift would mean _something_ to Billy, but she was anticipating what exactly his reaction would be. The problem was that Billy's face was unreadable and he just stared at what was inside.

"You don't like it?" She asked after a moment, when the silence had begun to get uncomfortable. "I just remembered what you said… and I saw something like what you described in a jewellery store and then found this and thought this one suited you more. I… I can get you something else if you want?"

"It's not that," he said quietly, finally looking up at her. "This looks a lot like it actually."

"Really?" She asked, hope filling her.

"Yeah, it's similar," he looked back down at the necklace she had gifted him. "Thank you."

Nari was stunned. She never would have imagined such genuine gratitude from Billy Hargrove, or for him to actually voice it out loud. She realised that his reaction truly hadn't been because he didn't like the gift, but rather the memories that came with it had thrown him off. When she had seen the bright gold and silver Mother Mary pendants in the jewellery shop it had reminded her of Billy describing his mother's necklace. Yet, Nari couldn't picture Billy wearing one of those and the one she had chosen was an antique, the metal darkened with time and far more subtle. She was relieved that he seemed to like it, as she had been a little worried about overstepping due to the connection to his mother.

"I didn't get you anything," he said, clearly feeling a little awkward.

"It's fine," she gave him a smile. "I didn't give it to you because I was expecting something in return. I'm just glad you like it."

He nodded, gaze once again returning to the box in his hand.

"Hey, can we eat now?" A shout came from behind them.

Nari turned to see Max skating back towards them and she smiled at the red-haired girl.

"You like it?" She asked.

"I _love_ it!" Max beamed.

"I'm glad. Come on, I'll get you guys a booth and take your orders."

She followed Max back into Zucky's, feeling like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. They both liked their gifts and that was enough to make her happy.

* * *

Nari made her way along the path, passing numerous headstones until she reached the one that she was looking for. It was a simple stone slab, with TJ's name written in both English and Korean. Nari knelt down onto the ground, placing the flowers she had brought with her in front of the tombstone.

" _Oppa, bogo sipeo_ ," she said softly, feeling the tears begin to form.

She hadn't visited her brother's grave since his funeral, almost a year earlier. The guilt she felt over his death had consumed her, causing her to avoid the reality of what had happened. Now, on the first anniversary of his death she felt a different kind of guilt. She had loved her _oppa_ more than anything and yet she had neglected to visit his grave for so long simply because she didn't want to face the truth that he was gone. The tears began to fall as it sunk in, that she would never see him again, that she would never laugh or talk or argue with him again, that he was never coming back.

"I didn't think I'd actually find you here," she heard someone say quietly.

Wiping the tears away, Nari turned to see Jay crouching down beside her. The tears suddenly came harder then, realising that her closest friend was seeing her in such a weak state. In many ways, Jay was also like a brother and he quickly wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled repeatedly, wishing that she could stop crying.

"Come on, Nari," he chided her. "It's okay to let it out."

She pulled back slightly, drying her eyes again as she forced herself to calm down. Jay assessed her, waiting patiently until she was a little bit more composed.

"I went to your house," he explained gently. "Your dad said you were out, so I thought I'd check, but… I'm surprised you're really here."

"I neglected him for a whole year," she moaned, feeling awful.

"You were processing, Nari," he tried to reassure her. "It's normal."

"I tried to act like it never happened, that's not normal!"

"You're here now, aren't you? That's better than nothing."

She sniffled and looked away, back down at the flowers she had laid at TJ's grave.

"Your parents are on their way," Jay continued. "Do you want to wait for them?"

Nari considered it for a moment. She was tired of running and wanted a sense of normalcy to return to her family. Her parents were two of the strongest people she knew; Regarding her father, it was obvious, due to his past in the army. Her mother, on the other hand, had grown up in a country that was under foreign occupation and then thrust into a civil war. Iseul had worked with the American army after losing everything in the war and that was how she met Nari's father. They had been through many things, yet always remained strong, so Nari would do the same.

"Yes," she agreed with a nod. "Let's wait for them."

"Are you sure?" He asked, obviously surprised by her answer.

"Yeah, I'm done running, Jay," she sighed.

"Okay," he accepted her answer, throwing an arm around her shoulders to comfort her.

They waited in silence and Nari knew it was the right decision. They were her family and they should be there for each other when things were tough. It would take time, but she would mend the broken bridges in her relationship with her parents, because she didn't want to lose anyone else in her family.

* * *

Nari stood behind the counter, bored out of her mind. She rested her head in her hand, watching the clock as time seemed to move agonisingly slowly. There hadn't been any customers for at least an hour, and while she had spent some time cleaning and tidying, there was now nothing left for her to do. It was New Year's Eve and Nari bemoaned the fact that she was stuck at work – especially during the most important part of the holiday. It was her own fault, as she had agreed to swap her original shift for this one. Still, it was almost 11:30pm and she felt dismal over the fact that she would be stuck in the practically empty deli once the clock struck midnight. Her Christmas had been fairly uneventful, as she simply spent it at home with her parents. She perked up a little when Kurtis Blow's _Christmas Rappin'_ started playing on the radio, flowing through the speakers and bringing some life to the empty deli. She liked the rhythm – even if it was a little late in the year now for Christmas songs – and tried to focus on it, if only to wake herself up a little. Nari tapped her fingers on the countertop in time with the beat when the door opened. _Finally,_ there was a customer and she immediately straightened up, only to be shocked at who she saw.

"Billy?" She asked, not quite believing her eyes. "What're you doing here?"

"I wanted something to eat," he shrugged. "Too bad you guys are the only place open."

"Very funny," she rolled her eyes with a smile. "Aren't you going to that big party?"

Lily Graham, a junior at their school, was throwing a big New Year's Eve party and Nari didn't know a single person who wasn't going. She was annoyed that she was stuck at Zucky's and unable to go, so it confused her that Billy had come into Zucky's and wasn't at Lily's like everyone else.

"I'll go after I've eaten," he replied nonchalantly.

"Okay…" she said, still finding it strange.

She took his order, ran it out to the kitchen and then joined him at the booth where he sat. Since there were no other customers, Nari figured she could pass the time quicker by chatting with Billy.

"How was your Christmas?" She asked, resting her head in one of her hands.

"Same as usual," he replied, lighting up a cigarette. "Nothing beat that skateboard for Max, though. I bet her dad will try and one-up you next year."

"At least she liked it," Nari laughed.

"How about you?" He asked, referring to her own Christmas.

"Oh, it was pretty quiet, just me and my parents."

He simply nodded in response, taking another drag of his cigarette. Nari then heard the ding of a bell, signalling that Billy's meal was ready. She jumped up and quickly made her way over to the window that connected the kitchen with the rest of the deli.

"Thanks Mike," She said, picking up the plate from the counter there.

The cook who had been rostered on with her just gave her a nod, turning up the volume of the radio in an attempt to make their lonely shift go quicker. Nari sat back across from Billy once she had placed his meal down in front of him.

"What time do you get off?" He asked before taking a bite of his rye sandwich.

"Uh… not until 2am," she replied, taken aback by the question.

"Why're you working so late?"

If Nari didn't know any better, she would have assumed that the annoyance in his tone was masking concern. However, it was Billy, so she was confused as to why he would even care.

"My co-worker needed to be at home with her kids, so I swapped my shift with hers. Why?"

"You're working late on New Year's Eve," he shrugged. "Just figured you'd rather be out celebrating."

"Hey, don't get me wrong," she laughed in response. "I'd rather be at Lily Graham's party, but I didn't want to let Sally down."

"You should stop by when you get off work," he suggested.

"No, I'm already tired," she replied with a small smile. "I'll just have to accept that this New Years is a boring one."

Billy let the topic drop, finishing his meal and leaning further back against the vinyl-upholstered seat. Nari noticed a glint of something under the lights and leaned forward slightly to get a better look. The first few buttons of Billy's shirt were open, exposing the area around his collarbone and upper chest. There, around his neck, was the necklace she had given him and Nari couldn't help but widen her smile. Lifting her gaze to meet his eyes, she was taken aback by the intensity in his stare. It threw her off completely, his eyes drawing her in and the pull was almost magnetic. She felt warmth seem to spread through her body as a reaction to the way he was looking at her. His lips slowly spread into that infuriating smirk and she quickly looked away, her cheeks turning a light pink.

"Uh, I'll just take this," she told him.

Nari would've taken any excuse to get away in that moment and quickly stood, taking his plate and retreating to the safety of the kitchen, where she took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. Mike continued to mostly just ignore her, sitting and playing a game of solitaire to pass the time. He had never been all that talkative and always worked the very late shifts, so Nari didn't know him all that well. She dropped the dish off by the sink, wondering why she was suddenly getting so flustered around Billy. Attempting to brush it off, Nari ran her hands over her apron, smoothing out any wrinkles as a way to focus her attention on something else. She then headed back out to the register, finding Billy leaning against the counter on her side, rather than the customer's side.

"Here," he said, handing her enough change to cover the food and her tip.

"Thanks," she smiled, placing it in the register.

"You sure you don't wanna stop by later?"

"Yeah, it's been a long shift. I just want to go home."

She felt the heat of his gaze and looked up to meet it. Once again she became overwhelmed by his stare, his eyes piercing and seeming to tell far more than his words ever did. Still, whatever his eyes were conveying was not something Nari could as yet decipher, so she simply stared back at him dumbly, confusion and uncertainty seeming to radiate from her.

"You should get going though," she said, attempting to distract herself once again. "You'll miss it all if you don't."

She looked away from him, re-folding some napkins to try and focus her attention on something mundane. However, when he reached out, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her eyes immediately darted back to him. She turned to face him in confusion and he let his palm fall to cup her cheek. Nari froze, unable to do anything but look at him with wide eyes as he leant closer to her. The intense, heated look in his gaze took her breath away, before her own eyes fell shut at the contact of his lips upon hers. His lips moved slowly against her own, soft and surprisingly tender in their movement. After a second filled with shock, Nari began to move her own lips in response. It was not a very deep kiss and before she knew it, it was over. It took her a moment to process it, as Nari was completely in shock and unsure if it had actually happened. Her lips remained parted and her eyes were dazed when she slowly opened them again. She knew that she must have looked completely astounded, but Billy on the other hand, seemed entirely calm. It was like he hadn't felt the spark of electricity that she did at the contact of their lips, or the heat spreading through her body that seemed to overwhelm her.

"Billy... what...?"

He just smirked, seeming to enjoy her bewildered expression.

"It's midnight," was his simple response, as he pointed to the clock.

She gaped at him, partly annoyed and partly still shocked.

"You..." she stammered out, before finally regaining her senses. "You jerk! You can't just kiss someone like that out of the blue!"

The smile didn't leave his face and Nari had a sneaking suspicion that he was enjoying winding her up. He had just done it so that he had someone to kiss when it was midnight? She found her anger starting to bubble up; it was a stupid tradition anyway.

"Happy New Year, sweetheart," he teased her. "I'll see you around."

She watched, mouth still gaping, as Billy turned and left the deli, looking as confident and composed as ever. When the shock started to wear off, her anger became more dominant and Nari clenched her fists in annoyance. Her heart was pounding, and her mind was fogged with thoughts. It irritated her that he had kissed her in a way that was so meaningless to him, but what was even more frustrating was the fact that it bothered her so much.

" _Eottoke,"_ she whined, starting to pace behind the counter.

She ran her fingers through her long hair, before shaking her head furiously. She would _not_ overthink it and she would _not_ let Billy Hargrove get the better of her. She had no interest in him beyond friendship – a sentiment he definitely shared. She convinced herself that the kiss had meant nothing to either of them, so it didn't matter. Willing the butterflies in her stomach to settle down, Nari went back into the kitchen to wash Billy's dishes, knowing Mike wouldn't bother. Plunging her arms in warm, soapy water, she focused all of her thoughts on her task as she washed not only the dirty plate, but also any thoughts of Billy Hargrove from her mind.

* * *

 **A/N:** Christmas Wrapping and Christmas Rappin' are the best Christmas songs, hands down!

Billy's necklace doesn't look very new at all in Stranger Things and actually looks quite old, which is why I've mentioned Nari getting it from an antique shop. The skateboard she gives to Max is also supposed to be the one we see in Stranger Things 2.

'Oppa' (오빠) means 'older brother' in Korean and is used as a way of addressing older males, by younger females, when the age gap isn't that big. Therefore, it can also be used as a way to address a boyfriend. So don't be weirded out if you've only heard it in a romantic context, by chance. In this context, it is just Nari speaking to her older brother in Korean.

'Bogo sipeo' (보고 싶어) is an informal way to say 'I miss you' in Korean.

'Eottoke' (어떡해) basically means 'what am I supposed to do?' in Korean.

Korea was under Japanese occupation from 1910-1945 and I won't go into the history of it, but basically it wasn't a good thing and changed Korea forever. Then, 5 years later in 1950, the Korean War began.


End file.
